


Dark Pulse

by NacreHeart29



Series: Dragon's Heart [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions, Pocket Monsters: Black 2 & White 2 | Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 Versions
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, At least for the majority of this fic, Blind Character, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Titles, Loss of Innocence, That's Not A Joke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 28,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27110767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NacreHeart29/pseuds/NacreHeart29
Summary: Hidden beneath a thought-to-be abandoned warehouse is an illegal smuggling ring where Pokemon are bred, trained, and then sold off to the highest bidder.A young Deino, born into this environment, is forced to learn to survive while, like all Deino, she is blind. Follow her journey as she learns to cope with loss and fear, figures out what this 'friendship' thing is, and finally manages to stumble her way to freedom.
Series: Dragon's Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978861
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. O Serpent Heart Hid With a Flowering Face

**Author's Note:**

> So for anyone who doesn't know, Dark Pulse is basically a prequel to a different story I'm going to write. It's set from the point of view of Iris' Hydreigon (which you see in Black 2 & White 2) and details the Hydreigon's life before and after getting caught by Iris. This will be a pretty dark story and it does involve stuff like electrocution and illegal smuggling rings, so if you don't like that click away now.
> 
> I don't doubt that some parts of my story will be fairly inaccurate, but oh well. Dark Pulse was created out of the grab bag of ideas that is my brain and me wanting to work on my lackluster character development skills. Hopefully you'll all enjoy this story!
> 
> -Jay

_ … ? _

Warmth. Soft, heavenly warmth surrounds you. You huddle into the warmth. Something fills you, making you feel light and good. It is a  _ good  _ thing. Warmth is  _ good.  _ The provider of the warmth is  _ good.  _

_ Mother,  _ you think in not quite so many words.  _ Good. Warm. Good. _

_ …  _

_ …  _

_ …  _

There is an odd sound. You can’t place it, but you don’t like it. It is loud and rough on your fragile ears. It is  _ bad.  _ You want more warmth. You move, limbs tangling together ungracefully, seeking the warmth -

and then, all of a sudden,

it is ripped away

from you.

Without the warmth, you realize it is bitterly cold. You curl up in a ball, shivering. This is  _ bad.  _ Cold is  _ bad.  _ Where is  _ mother?  _ Where is  _ warmth?  _

You do not like this. Something fills your chest, like warmth but it’s different. It makes you feel big and strong. Big and strong (wrong) and like you want to  _ hurt.  _

You want to  _ hurt  _ something. You want to  _ hurt  _ whoever has your mother.

You try to get up and off the cold ground but your limbs are shaky and weak. You fall down, landing with a  _ thump _ . More of the odd sound.

You hate the odd sound. It is very  _ bad.  _ Just as bad as cold. The odd sound sends more of the not-quite-warmth feeling through you and you push yourself back up. You  _ will  _ hurt whoever has your mother.

You stumble forwards on shaky limbs and snap blindly. What you did, you don’t know. But you do it anyway, knowing on instinct that it is what you want to do. You snap what later will be known to you as  _ jaws,  _ doing what you will later know as  _ biting  _ towards where you heard the sound. 

There is a buzzy sound, one you don’t quite like, and - 

_ pain. _

It hurts. It hurts, searing a hot line of  _ pain  _ into your  _ back.  _ You hate it. You hate it hate it hate it. It is  _ bad.  _ Just as  _ bad  _ as the first odd sound. The  _ pain  _ sends more of the not-quite-warmth feeling through you, but also a different feeling.

You do not like this feeling. 

It makes your torso feel tight and makes your breathing speed up. You know it’s a bad feeling somehow, in a way you just can’t express. The not-quite-warmth is better.

Fueled by the not-quite-warmth, you stagger forwards and snap around blindly until you catch something between your jaws. It’s rough, but gives easily under the sharp edges of your teeth and you bite down until you taste something oddly metallic.

There’s a noise.

It grates on your ears, but in a strangely nice way instead of a bad way. You like this sound. It’s not  _ good,  _ but it is definitely not  _ bad. _

Another buzzy sound, one that you definitely don’t like. You let go, knowing what -

_ pain. _

Pain ripples across your back, searingly hot in a  _ bad  _ way. More of the torso-tight feeling courses through you, but also more of the not-quite-warmth feeling and you focus on that. That is what powers you up. You keep snapping at everything around you until something zaps you and you fall to the ground, suddenly unable to move.

You can’t move.

Your limbs are twitching and you try to get back up, but you can’t. Your breathing is becoming faster and faster with each second, all of your energy focused on moving. You have to  _ move! _

Something grabs you, something rough and harsh and  _ bad.  _ You try to struggle, wanting to break free, but you are barely able to twitch one of your limbs. More of the first odd sound, which you will later learn is  _ laughter.  _

You hate the rough beings who make the  _ laughter  _ and the buzzy sounds. They drop you onto a cold surface, sending more  _ pain _ through your body. Something stabs your side, creating a metallic smell. You don’t like the smell.

You try to get up and are successful for a moment, and then something  _ cold  _ wraps around your limbs. There is a grating sound, one that you don’t like. You try to move but something stops you and it isn’t what zapped you. It’s whatever it is wrapped around your limbs.

Again, you try to move and the cold thing around your limbs stops you again. This time, you move too far and fall flat, to the sound of  _ laughter. _

You hate the  _ laughter.  _ The  _ laughter  _ is bad. The  _ laughter  _ will bring the buzzy sound, which brings pain and not-quite-warmth and torso-tight. The  _ laughter  _ ripped away the warmth of  _ mother _ . 

Lying there on the cold surface, in  _ pain _ ,  _ scared _ and  _ angry _ , you drift into blissful emptiness.


	2. These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, chapter 2. I really don't have much to say here, so enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

You are awoken from your sleep by the sounds. They’re similar to the  _ laughter  _ sound, rough and grating and  _ bad.  _

They’re getting closer to you.

The thought of those rough things around your body makes the torso-tightening feeling come back full-force. You curl in on yourself on the cold surface.

Something rattles, echoing and metallic in a funny way, and then you are being dragged up by your limbs somehow. You stumble, trip, and then finally manage to stagger to your feet. 

Laughter.

The torso-tightening feeling is replaced by the not-quite warmth, flooding your body in an unexpected but nice way. You snap towards the  _ laughter  _ sounds. Although you don’t successfully catch anything, one of the rough beings makes a sound that you like, in an odd sort of way.

The next thing you know, something is being fitted around your head. Something cold and metallic-smelling.

You hate it. 

You shake your head back and forth, trying to get it off. You do not want this on. This is bad. This is very, very bad. It presses over your face in a way that you hate, digging into your fur. You can’t move your mouth, no matter how hard you try. Your head feels heavy and  _ bad. _

The rough beings are making the  _ laughter  _ sound, as you struggle to get the thing off. You struggle harder, but the things around your limbs are holding you back.

“A… et’s g…!”

You are dragged roughly across the cold surface. Pain ripples over your body, not quite as bad as before but still not good. There is the sound of something squeaking strangely, then you feel something being removed from your limbs.

Your head is still weighed down by the bad thing and your limbs still feel a bit heavy, but you feel much better than before. You test out your new lightness, stumbling around happily until one of the rough beings grabs you by the neck, ignoring your struggles, and drops you somewhere. 

The surface is no longer cold. It is coated in rough stuff, stuff that sticks to your side and head as you push yourself up.

_ “A youngling. How pathetic can they be.” _

You shake the rough stuff out of your fur and swivel your head towards whoever is making the words. Instinctively, you try to reply but you can’t open your jaws wide enough to do anything.

The word-maker exhales loudly.  _ “What are the humans thinking, making something as small as you fight.” _

_ Small? _

You don’t like that. You are not…  _ small.  _ You are big and strong and you can…  _ fight,  _ whatever that is. Shaking your head determinedly, you jump towards where the words came from and actually hit something.

_ “Not small, then.”  _ The word-maker pauses, making a sound suspiciously like  _ laughter _ . You do not like the word-maker.  _ “Still, you are only a youngling. Humans truly are terrible.” _

_ Humans? Muzzle? _

You try and snap your jaws, but the thing stops you. What are  _ humans?  _ What is a  _ muzzle?  _

_ “Humans are the ones who hurt us,”  _ the word-maker says.  _ “The muzzle is what is on your head.” _

The ones who hurt us.

The rough beings, who ripped  _ mother  _ away. That’s what  _ humans  _ are.

You hate the  _ humans. _

There is a buzzy noise and you flinch, curling your head in. A line of pain scores its way down your back, accompanied by the zappy feeling from last night. Your breathing stutters, but you uncurl yourself anyway. You are not  _ small.  _ You refuse to be  _ small. _

_ “Hit me,”  _ the word-maker says softly. Things are projected through your head: a shapeless being, leaping and bumping another shapeless being. The shapeless being doesn’t move, causing it to vanish.  _ “You have to fight.” _

You gladly comply, leaping again towards the word-maker. You don’t quite hit it, but you brush something.

_ “Good,”  _ the word-maker says. There’s a pause, and then something strikes you in the side, causing you to stumble and nearly fall.  _ “You can do much more, however.” _

Much more?

Something hits you, but oddly enough it doesn’t even cause pain. You swivel your head around, trying to detect the word-maker. A blow to your side and you whip around, spewing something on instinct.

_ “Not quite.” _

You grit your teeth and try again, but whatever it is is weak and hampered by the thing on your face. Again and again, you try and spit the fire thing, eventually managing to hit something. There’s a faint hiss.

The word-maker.

Perfect.

Something strikes your side and you immediately spew a narrow stream of whatever it is towards who hit you. 

_ “Well done.” _

The words make you feel… something. Warmth. Warmth that you desperately crave, in a terrifying way you can’t express.

Next thing you know, a powerful sound wave assaults your ears and you collapse under the force of it, letting out a pained cry.

Your ears are still ringing due to the power of the sound wave, but you can hear laughter surrounding you. The rough beings - the  _ humans  _ \- grab you. You try to struggle, but your body refuses and you are powerless to stop the buzzy thing from hurting you, nor to stop your cry of pain.

Despite the aching feeling in your… everything, you manage to work your way out of the human’s arms and fall to the ground. It sends a shock wave of pain through your leg, but it’s worth it to not be held by those rough creatures.

“Stu… th… ju… ha…! ”

You can’t tell what they’re saying, but the way the human says it makes you shiver. There’s a familiar buzzy noise and you flinch, knowing what’s next. A line of pain etches its way across your face, electric-hot.

“Get… th… st… thi…!”

A different feeling fills you, the same feeling you had when you bit the rough being ( _ human,  _ you remind yourself.) It’s a cold feeling and you embrace it gladly as you are unceremoniously dumped onto rough ground and the heavy things go back around your limbs.

The feeling wears off quickly, though, replaced by the pain pulsing through your body and a sudden, heavy feeling.  _ Is this what will happen here?  _ you wonder. The thought makes you shudder, curling tighter (as if that would help, you think bitterly.)

Tiredness overtakes you and you gladly embrace the now-familiar feeling.


	3. What's in a name? That which we call a rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright and here is where we can start to pick up! I do want to give a disclaimer to the few who are reading this; please be aware that I don't know much about blindness or this sort of situation. I'm not an expert. If I write anything offensive, please tell me and I'll change it but don't expect accuracy here.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

_ “Someone new is here.” _

_ “Someone new, someone new, someone new, someone new, someone new? Who who who who who?” _

_ “Not sure. Maybe from my homeland.” _

You lift your head from where you are curled up in your cell. Someone new was here? Whoever it was, they smelled odd. Different from the staticky smell the Pokemon in the cell next to yours had had, different from the musty smell of their cells.

Somehow, their smell was comforting. Gentle, in a way.

_ “Stop! Please!” _

The familiar sounds of laughter and chains make you flinch, pressing your ears into your fur. It doesn’t quite block the cries of the Pokemon, but it does somewhat muffle them, making you feel a bit better.

_ “Can anyone please help me? Where am I?” _

The new Pokemon’s voice is rather high-pitched, you notice distantly. High-pitched and sweet and desperate in a way you haven’t felt since you were born. 

It makes you feel bad, somehow, weighing your chest down in a way that’s similar to fear but not really. You don’t like the heavy feeling. 

_ “Hey,”  _ the new Pokemon says, having seemed to calm down a bit.  _ “Hey. Hello?” _

You’re not sure if they’re talking to you, so you don’t say anything until something hits you lightly. The bite wound from the battle before immediately flares up with pain and you exhale a sharp breath through gritted teeth.

_ “Can you help me? Please?” _

Your first instinct is to say no, annoyed by the pain in your side, but something in the new Pokemon’s voice makes you pause. It weighs you down somehow, a feeling you want to stop feeling.

_ “Okay,”  _ you say quietly. 

_ “Thank you!!”  _ the new Pokemon says happily. Their cheer makes you feel a bit better, lessening the heaviness. 

_ “Can you tell me where we are?”  _ they continue, voice lilting upwards. 

You pause for a moment, thinking carefully. What had the Pokemon across from you called it?

_ “Smuggling ring,”  _ you say after a bit. You’re not quite sure what it means, but the way the Pokemon across from you had said it made it sound bad.

_ “Oh no oh no oh no,”  _ the new Pokemon says. Fear fills the air, a scent that makes you flinch.  _ “I’ve heard about these places. They’re bad places. Why are we - ”  _ They pause suddenly and thankfully, the fear smell dissipates.  _ “You’re injured.” _

You tilt your head slightly, a little confused.  _ “So?” _

_ “Why are you injured?”  _ they ask, voice tilting. 

_ “Got bitten,”  _ you say, still unsure of why they’re asking.

_ “And no one helped you?!” _

You press your face to your paws. You don’t like the tone of their voice. It’s harsh and angry-hot, like how the humans talked to you before they buzzed you. 

_ “Sorry,”  _ they say, voice softer now.  _ “I didn’t mean to scare you.” _

_ Scare  _ you? You weren’t scared ( _ except you were,  _ a voice in your head whispers) ! Why would you be scared? 

_ “But,”  _ they continue, voice tinted with… something that you can’t discern,  _ “why did no one help you?” _

_ “Why would they?”  _ you ask, confused. The humans would never help you and there was no way another Pokemon could help you, even if they wanted to.

The new Pokemon doesn’t speak for a moment and you curl back up, ready to have your long-awaited nap.

_ “Can I? Help you, I mean.” _

You look back up, feeling a little irritated. Whatever they plan to do, it surely won’t be as good as your nap will.

The irritation quickly fades away, though, replaced by a warm feeling. It spreads through your body and nestles comfortably in your chest, something you don’t think you’ve ever felt since you were born. What is it, you wonder? Not fear, that’s for sure. Not desperation, not pain, not exhaustion, not anger… 

Whatever it is, you want it. It fills up a hollow space in you that you didn’t even know existed, but it’s  _ not enough.  _ You want more, need more.

You don’t even bother thinking about what consequences this might have as you agree, picking yourself up off the ground and stumbling towards their voice. A rough shard of stone digs into your foot but you don’t care, getting as close to their voice as you can before you are forced to stop.

_ “Can you sit down?” _

You gladly comply, settling comfortably on the floor. The new Pokemon hums softly, and then a soothing feeling washes over you. You slump into the floor as the pain dissipates, leaving you in bliss.

_ “There,”  _ the new Pokemon murmurs.  _ “All better, right? Are you paralyzed, poisoned, burned… ?” _

_ “No,”  _ you say, though it comes out a little slurred due to a sudden wave of sleepiness. The new Pokemon lets out a sweet, tinkling laugh, entirely different from the bad laughter from the humans.

_ “You’re obviously tired,”  _ they say.  _ “Have some rest, okay?” _

_ “What are you?”  _ you manage to ask, curling up into a ball and tilting your face to where you imagine they’re standing.

_ “I’m a Chansey,”  _ they say quietly.  _ “My name’s Cass. That’s what my trainer called me, anyway. What’s your name?”  _

_ “Dunno,”  _ you slur, half asleep already. You slip into unconsciousness before you can hear Cass’ response, but you imagine it’s something nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pokemon who says everything five times is an Exeggute and the one who says, "Maybe from my homeland?" is a Pidgeotto, by the way. :)


	4. Dreamers Often Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, the romantic tension between me and barely remembering the day I have to update. By the way; to the CIA agent watching me, please ignore that one time I searched up 'how to sneak past security cameras'. It was for a... thing.
> 
> I've got several other stories being written at the same time as this (though this is my main priority) that I'm considering posting. I'm not too sure, though, since they're both not exactly my style.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

You step back, releasing the Pokemon that was trapped by your Crunch and ducking in an attempt to shield yourself from the resulting explosion. It doesn’t help much and bursts of pain flare up on your body, but you ignore it and straighten back up. A part of you is hoping that this will be your last battle, since you’re rather tired, but another part of you is practically vibrating with aggressive energy.

Footsteps approach you and you snap forwards on instinct. You flinch when you hear a familiar buzzing sound, ducking your head as pain ripples through your back, accompanied by a jolt of static. 

_ “Stop, please!” _

That’s - no. It can’t be.

But you know that voice and the white-hot pain is swiftly replaced with chilling dread. 

What is  _ Cass  _ doing here? Why is she here? She shouldn’t be here. Cass is sweet and gentle and  _ warm  _ and she shouldn’t be fighting, she shouldn’t have to experience any pain  _ at all.  _ You can’t battle Cass, of all Pokemon. You would rather battle anyone other than Cass. Why would anyone ever hurt Cass?

_ “We have to fight, right?”  _ Cass murmurs softly.

_ “Yeah,”  _ you say, mind working quickly. Maybe you could just not fight. Maybe you could attack the humans and while they’re distracted with you Cass could get out.

_ “I don’t want to,”  _ Cass says, voice tinted with sadness and a bit of fear.  _ “But - ” _

_ “we have to,”  _ you finish, shaking your head. Maybe you could - 

There’s a buzzing sound and then Cass shrieks in pain. You let out a furious growl, bristling with rage, and launch a Dragon Pulse towards the buzzing noise. The humans can hurt you all they want, but they will never be allowed to touch Cass.

Except -

except -

you miss.

You miss. And it isn’t a human who lets out a cry of pain, it’s  _ Cass.  _ You hit  _ Cass.  _

_ “Don’t! Please!” _

Immediately you stop, stumbling back. The Dragon Pulse fizzles out around your head, energy sparking a bit painfully on your face but it barely registers in your mind because  _ you hurt Cass. _

_ “Why did you do that?”  _ Cass demands, but her voice comes out a little choked. You don’t say anything because what can you say? 

The words  _ I’m sorry I didn’t mean it please don’t be angry  _ are stuck in your throat when there’s a buzz of electricity and Cass lets out another pained cry. That’s what really pushes you into motion, snapping the haze of shock and fear out of your mind.

_ “You have to fight,”  _ you hiss desperately, leaping at Cass in a weak imitation of a Tackle.  _ “Hit me.” _

When still nothing hits you and there’s a familiar buzzing noise, you practically scream,  _ “Fight!” _

_ Please,  _ you don’t say.

Cass whimpers in pain and it sends a cold spike through your chest, like when you had fought a creature that had called itself a Cloyster. Then something explodes in your face and you move into action, lashing out with a Dragonbreath. More explosions surround you, but they don’t really hurt much and you crouch there, fur bristling.

A soft melody plays from somewhere and you shake your head, confused. Where did that come from? Your head feels hazy and a part of you screams  _ something’s wrong, snap out of it  _ but it fades quickly and you succumb to the grasp of sleep.

  
  


_ Boom. _

Something explodes in your face and every part of you immediately screams  _ Danger!  _ You launch a fiery Dragonbreath towards whatever exploded, crouching close to the floor. Instead of hearing a human cry or another explosion, you hear Cass’ cry of pain.

_ Cass! _

The haze of sleep snaps out of your mind upon hearing that cry and you rush towards Cass, intending to help her. 

Instead, you are greeted by an explosion to the face. You flinch back with a pained cry, skittering backwards. 

_ “Cass?!” _

And then you remember; you’re in the ring. You’re fighting Cass.

_ You hurt Cass. _

_ “I can’t move!”  _ Cass cries out, but you are helpless and weak and unable to do anything so you stand there, frozen, until a barrage of explosions assaults your ears. You shake your head wildly, trying to get rid of the ringing in your ears. A Dragon Pulse cuts through the barrage of explosions, thankfully stopping the noise but then Cass whimpers in pain and it’s much, much worse.

You don’t want to do this. You just want to stop fighting but there’s a buzzing sound and you skitter away, terrified. Footsteps sound towards you and instinctively you lash out, snagging something in your teeth and biting down with a hard crunch. Instead of a human cry as you expected, it’s Cass’ cry.

The humans are laughing. The humans are making some loud noise but it’s barely an afterthought in your mind as you drop Cass’ now-limp body and stagger backwards, almost falling to the ground but managing to catch yourself on the way. Your ears are ringing, your heart is thumping hard in your chest, your mind feels empty of anything but  _ Cass, I hurt Cass. _

You shift forwards hesitantly, tapping around until you find Cass’ body. She’s immobile, not responding at all to your touch. You wonder for a brief moment if you could heal her, like she healed you. Worth a try, right?

Wrong.

Even after many attempts to heal Cass, nothing happens. She lies there, limp, and you curl up next to her, trying to protect her. The humans can’t take her away. They’ll hurt her. You can’t let her get hurt more.

Except you are, as always, powerless to stop them. You attempt to ward them off, firing Dragon Pulses and lashing out with Crunches at anyone who gets close, but they grab Cass anyway and stun you, muzzling you up as well just for good measure. You try to get to Cass, struggling against your captors’ grasp, but it’s futile. Despite your efforts, you are dumped into your cell, away from Cass. You immediately drag yourself to where Cass’ cell was, trying to find her. You can smell her, but nothing else. 

You press your face to the bars, slumping on the cell floor. You don’t want to go to sleep, you have to see if Cass is okay but your body disobeys and you fall into a reluctant sleep.


	5. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter five! I think I'll get a pseud account to post any random fragments of stories I have in mind. Unless they're really important, I won't move them to this account, though. I'm not quite sure how to get a pseud, but I'll figure it out.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

Cass isn’t talking to you anymore.

You tried everything. You tried asking her if you could help her, like she had when she first met you. You tried asking her if she still wanted to be your ‘friend’. You tried telling her what had happened when they’d battled, but nothing.

It makes you angry but also sad and afraid. You are, once again, helpless. Fighting is simple. Fighting is instinctive. But this ‘friendship’ thing is confusing and odd and you don’t know what to do. 

_ “I didn’t mean to hurt you,”  _ you try, hoping desperately that this would work and Cass would be happy again and the chill in your chest would dissipate. 

Cass doesn’t say anything for a painfully long period of time, to the point that you are ready to just give up and go back to sleep, then her voice sounds quietly from her cell. Your heart leaps in hope, then drops immediately after once you hear what she says.

_ “But you did anyway.” _

_ “It wasn’t on - I didn’t - ” _

_ “Both of you shut it!”  _ the Pokemon from across you snarls.  _ “I’m trying to get some rest and you two jabbering away like fledglings doesn’t help.” _

You reluctantly  _ “shut it”  _ and curl up, pressing your face into your paws. You itch with the need to say something, but you bury your words into your (gritty) fur. Cass’ words weigh you down heavily, cold tendrils curling in your stomach.

You manage to remain silent for several minutes, shifting unhappily on the rough floor and ignoring the occasional rock that jabs your stomach. Eventually, though, you just can’t keep it bottled in and words tumble out of your mouth.

_ “Cass - ” _

_ “Don’t,”  _ Cass snarls, easily stopping the stream of words right at the start.  _ “Don’t talk to me. Don’t make excuses.” _

You fall silent, barely daring to breathe. The air around you is hot but your entire body feels cold and  _ empty,  _ bitterly different from the warmth you had felt when you had first met Cass. A part of you notes distantly that Cass’ voice sounds different somehow, but you can’t find the energy to care.

_ “Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it,”  _ Cass hisses softly, voice filled with poison.  _ “You haven’t even apologized.” _

_ Apologized? _

You’ll do it. The words  _ “I’ll apologize”  _ are barely on the tip of your tongue but Cass snaps  _ “Don’t”  _ and you immediately shut your mouth, curling in on yourself. The stub that was once your tail curls - or tries to - around your back paw and you bury your face into your fur, stifling a noise of hurt. Something wet drips out of your face and falls onto your paw. It tastes bitter.

_ “You two done yelling?”  _ the Pokemon across says.  _ “Good. Now let me sleep.” _

Cass mutters something but you can’t tell what it is. You’re sad and your fur feels sticky and gritty with stuff you don’t want to know about, but it’s all drowned out under the sudden wave of exhaustion. Right now, you just want to sleep. Maybe it will turn out to just be a dream when you wake up.

  
  
  


Cass’ cry of pain startles you out of your sleep. You scrabble at the floor, stumbling to push yourself up. Cass’ cry came from her cell and you stumble towards the cell, almost tripping over your own paws to get there. You press your nose on the bars and attempt to find Cass’ scent; it’s there, but you can’t tell where Cass is.

Cass is making soft cries of pain and you track the sounds, stiffening when you realize that they’re heading outside your cell. Where is Cass going? Is she going to fight again?

_ “What’s going on?”  _ you call out, pitching your voice in order to be heard over the varied Pokemon cries. 

_ “She’s getting taken away she’s getting taken away she’s getting taken away she’s getting taken away she’s getting taken away,”  _ some Pokemon says.

_ “Where?”  _ you cry but there’s no answer. Cass’ voice is fading away into the distance and you rush forwards, trying to get to where you can hear Cass but the chain drags you back and you trip over your own feet, falling flat on the floor. Cass’ voice disappears, leaving only her scent and fear-tinted air behind.

You lie there for a moment, then bury your face into the gritty floor, stifling a cry. It’s only now that you realize you scraped your cheek when you fell and it’s almost mocking, how it hurts.

_ “Hey. You, there, from across me.” _

You look up, fully aware of how bad you must look right now and not really having much energy to care.  _ “What?”  _ you say, resisting and then giving in to the urge to lie back down.

_ “Stop doing that,”  _ the Pokemon across you says.  _ “You’ll just get beaten down for feeling sad.”  _ There’s a pause and then they add,  _ “Like your friend.” _

You look back up at that, suddenly angry.  _ “Don’t say that!”  _ you snap, pressing your paws against the floor and pushing yourself up.  _ “Don’t say that about her!” _

_ “There it is,”  _ they say, cackling slightly.  _ “Anger. You’ll just hurt others in this place, fledgling. Or they’ll get taken away. Whatever.” _

_ “They wouldn’t - ” _

_ “Get taken away?”  _ they say, cackling.  _ “Didn’t stop the humans from taking away that poor, poor friend of yours, hm?” _

You fall silent, struck by the cold realization that they’re right. You want to argue, but no words come to mind.

_ “Don’t worry,”  _ they snicker.  _ “Not like you can stop it, so it’s not your fault, hm? Now hush, I’m going to sleep.” _

You stagger away from the bars and curl up in the middle of your cell, pressing your face to your paws. You can’t stop it, that’s the thing. You might be good at fighting, but there’s no way you can stop the humans. They have the buzzy things of pain and the chains and there are too many of them to fight off.

The utter feeling of helplessness and grief that washes over you is like a blow to the face. You had felt strong before, as if even with their numbers and buzzy things you could fight them. But the cold reality of it sinks in quickly. Even with your best efforts, Cass had been taken away and you had been unable to stop them.

A wave of anger floods you, so sudden that it leaves you reeling. You are helpless ( _ weak _ ) and you hate it, hate  _ them  _ with a bitter passion. What had you ever done to  _ them?  _ Why were you put through this pain? Why was  _ Cass  _ put through this?

A part of you is scared by how angry you are, but a larger part of you gladly embraces it and that’s the part you choose to focus on. It feels better than the helpless-sad feeling, after all. 

Exhaustion comes quickly to your tired body and you shift to lie on your non-injured side, hissing softly in pain. Wet stuff leaks out of your face but you choose to ignore it and the swell of sadness that comes with it. __


	6. O, Swear Not By the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on a Pokemon X/Y rewrite right now and I'm honestly a little worried how I'll weave in Team Flare. I gotta write Lysandre as a convincing good guy, add Team Flare in more, make them seem like more of a threat, create motivations for Lysander and admins, and explain why no one realized anything happening. 
> 
> Also, personality. The X/Y protag gang could have been so cool but nooooo. We have bow girl, dancer dude, rival, and camera guy. I love Pokemon, but I do wish those guys were more than just characters shoehorned into the game. So I must give them all personality and I'm terrible at that.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

You’re awake.

Normally, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but you’ve been awake for what feels like forever. Energy buzzes through you, humming in a steady beat under your fur. You twitch your paws, restless. You want to run. Fight. Yell. Anything but stay here in this tiny cell, chained up and trapped. 

There is a noise. There are many noises, but this noise feels different. You track the noise and take a deep whiff of the air, trying to catch a smell. It’s pretty obvious once you manage to hone in on the smell; it’s  _ humans _ . 

Are you going to battle? The prospect excites you. A battle sounds perfect to your restless mind. With all the energy built up inside of you, you are certain you could take anything on, even the creatures that shoot beams of cold. 

_ Even the humans?  _ a stray thought whispers and you push that thought away. The idea of facing the humans with their buzzy things makes you feel chilled. You can’t fight the humans. Not now, anyway.

There’s a  _ clk  _ and then a  _ clng  _ and you’re dragged out of your cell by your chains. You stumble, feet pushing against the floor, and manage to regain your footing. This has to be a battle, right? You’ve only been brought out of the cell for battling before. Who will be your opponent, you wonder? One of the rough ones who launch rocks and shake the ground? One of the zappy ones that make you jump around the field dodging buzzes of pain? One of the graceful ones who move about swiftly, spouting jets of water and cold? 

Instead of being pushed towards the arena, something taps your head lightly. You recoil from the touch, confused, but suddenly you feel your body shrink and you are pulled away somewhere.

Somewhere small. Smaller than even your tiny cell. This is  _ bad.  _ This is really, really  _ bad.  _ You try and push against the walls of your confinement, fueled by all your pent up energy and anger  _ (panic) _ . It’s too weirdly shaped to Crunch your way out and your attempt at making a Dragon Pulse hits you instead of the walls, so you resort to shoving at the walls. 

Just as you start to make ground, there’s a  _ clk  _ and suddenly the space is even smaller, forcing you into an awkward curled-up position. You’re trapped, head pressed in between your foot and cold, rough metal, and it makes you struggle even harder, panicking. Feet scrape at the walls, creating little tingles of pain. You slam your head against the metal, breathing hard. Nothing gives, no matter how hard you hit it, and exhaustion sets in soon. 

Your space is moving, all of a sudden. You feel yourself being lifted and then falling downwards, landing with a  _ thnk  _ on something. The walls around you absorb most of the impact, luckily, but it’s not pleasant. And it doesn’t end there, either. The entire world rumbles, shaking, and then you are being jostled and thrown around. Your paw makes painful contact with your own head and your body bumps roughly against the wall. It makes your stomach curl and move in unpleasant ways. 

Thankfully, you are released from your tiny confinement before you get thrown around too much and you gladly stretch about. The surface you are standing on is smooth, smoother than anything you’ve felt except perhaps the chains. The whole place smells completely different, in a way you can’t describe. You start to walk forwards, wanting to explore, but you are pulled roughly back by a chain on your leg, making you trip. Angered, you leap to your feet, bristling. A human pushes you down, forcing you to sit, and more humans restrain your head and legs. You try and struggle against their rough grasp, but it’s futile. 

Surprisingly, the humans don’t try to hurt you. Instead, there are multiple clicks and your chains fall to the floor with a loud  _ crlnk.  _ You are released from their grasp right after and you push yourself back up, shaking out your limbs. Without the chains, you feel much lighter and stronger. You swivel your head about and walk around, testing out the surroundings with your paws. When you make contact with nothing but floor, you eagerly start running around, making full use of your newfound freedom. 

Is this what life could be like without the humans? Chainless, painless? The thought fills you with a bubbly sort of lightness. You could do anything. Fight anyone, maybe  _ even  _ a hu -

_ Buzz. _

The sound and the ensuing burst of pain sends you crashing back down to the rocky floor. A human barks a command out at you; you’re not sure what it is they’re saying but you can tell that they want you to battle. 

_ You don’t have the chains on,  _ your mind reminds you.  _ Not even the circular things. You could run. You could leave. _

You could and you are ready to bolt when there’s a sudden buzzing sound and immediately you flinch away, hyper-aware of the smell of  _ humans  _ surrounding you. All thoughts of running are swiftly quashed. A human grabs you roughly by the neck, making you snarl, and drags you back. They say something, voice rough and grating on your ears, and reluctantly you comply, shifting into a battle stance. The floor shivers as another Pokemon lands on the field opposite you, making a loud sound and allowing you to pinpoint their location. You open your mouth, checking for a scent.

“B..tt…..gin!” a human yells. Immediately something thumps right next to you and you skitter away, alarmed. The attack is relentless as you try to avoid every rock that comes crashing down. One hits your shoulder and another hits your head, making your ears ring. You crouch low to the floor and scuttle away from the falling rocks, charging up a Dragon Pulse and launching it towards where you had heard the sound of impact. Your opponent lets out a grunt, solidifying their location. Teeth gritted, you fire off another Dragon Pulse, but this time your opponent doesn’t make a sound. Confused, you start to charge up another one but suddenly the earth shudders under your feet.

Before you can think to react, something sharp bursts out of the earth and throws you upwards. You flail haplessly midair, trying to regain your balance as you start to free-fall. Finally, you manage to regain some control over your limbs and curl into a tight ball, knowing that it’ll hurt less this way. You hit the floor with a thump and roll once before stopping yourself, bracing your paws against the floor.

Your breath comes in short pants and your stomach aches, but every bit of you is alert and ready. The ground starts to shake and as soon as dirt hits your paws you leap up into the air. You draw on your emotions, pulling it up and unleashing it in the form of a Dark Pulse. There’s no sound as you fall, so you assume you didn’t hit your opponent but it doesn’t matter. This time, when the earth tremors slightly under your feet you slide to the side, feeling the breeze brush your fur. You capitalize on your opponent’s surprise, firing off a swift Dark Pulse and feeling satisfied when you hear a grunt. A volley of Dragon Pulses follow up, not letting your opponent get a hit in. WIth one last blow, your opponent lets out a loud cry and then falls, the floor trembling under their weight.

Standing there, feeling tired but strong at the same time, you raise your head and take a deep breath of air. It’s gritty and rough, but it gives your chest some relief. Just like with some other battles, a rush of energy courses through you but nothing changes, so you ignore it. 

Overhead, the humans are exchanging some angry words. You are all too glad to ignore them, though you take a small step back and crouch slightly, just in case. 

More angry words and sounds are exchanged, then there’s a cry of rage (which automatically makes you flinch) and then a buzzy noise sounds. You skitter away, kicking up bits of shattered rock with your paws, but despite your efforts a buzzy thing hits and pain flares up on your back. 

The energy that had coursed through you after battle surges up suddenly, spreading it’s tendrils through your body. It’s warm at first, then cold (numbing the pain, thankfully), and suddenly  _ pain. _

Pain rips through your whole body, searingly hot and terrifyingly cold at the same time. Distantly, you hear someone crying. It takes a moment to realize that it’s you, screaming as something tears through you. It’s like you’re being ripped in half, like something else is forcing its way through your chest and legs and head.

And just as quickly as it appeared, the pain disappears completely. You stumble, managing to catch yourself before you fall. Somehow, you feel stronger. Bigger.

You charge up a Dragon Pulse and launch it randomly towards something. A moment passes by and then there’s a sound of impact. You charge up a Dark Pulse and launch it towards the ground. The earth shivers slightly.

Satisfaction runs through you, warming your chest. As painful as that was, it turned out to be worth it. Energy thrums through your body, a steady and powerful beat under your fur and -

_??? _

Confusion radiates through your mind. What was that?

_? !! !!! _

Happiness. Warmth. But there’s no way those are your emotions. They feel similar somehow, but there’s a different aura to them.

Something brushes against your neck and you take an instinctive step back. Who was that? No matter how many steps you take, the thing keeps brushing your neck. Confused, you try a different strategy and lean your head away from the contact instead. Immediately it disappears and whoever it is lets out an unhappy noise. At the same time, sadness radiates into your mind.

The pieces are starting to come together. You reach towards where you had felt the thing brush your neck and make contact with something warm and soft. Hesitantly, you open your mouth and press your teeth into fur. The other makes a noise, something between confusion and unhappiness. At the same time, you feel the shadow of teeth and a prick of pain in your neck.

Shocked, you pull back, shaking your head. There’s no way… 

but when you were changing it did feel like something new was growing… 

The other -  _ your  _ other - squeaks, confused, and tries to nuzzle into you again. You let them do it, too stunned to move away.

There is another being living  _ inside  _ you. Sharing  _ your  _ body. 

At least, you think bitterly, the humans sound happy. 


	7. Pay No Worship to the Garish Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to say but 'yee'. :)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

As it turns out, your new form is a little bit of a problem.

Your other drags your body every which way, straining against your chains and bumping into things. You do your best to reign them in, trying to walk in a straight line instead of a wild zig-zag. There’s a flare of pain in your foot because your other hit it against a wall and immediately waves of  _ pain  _ and  _ sadness  _ radiate into your mind. You shove it away, keeping your mind clear, and drag yourself (and your other) towards your cell, heading inside and curling up to sleep. The rush of energy from your change has faded and you are tired all of a sudden, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep.

_ “Oh, you evolved.” _

It’s the Pokemon across from you. You lift your head (ignoring your other poking something vigorously with one of your feet), confused.  _ “Evolved?” _

_ “Right - you don’t know,”  _ they say. You frown, feeling a little insulted.  _ “Well, it’s like this big change. You become stronger and your body changes.” _

Your other hums curiously, nosing into your neck. Warm breath puffs out over your fur and you pull away, flinching at the sensation. Sadness emanates into your mind and your head droops, then you remember that it isn’t what  _ you’re  _ feeling and you throw up a mental wall, shoving the  _ sadness  _ back.

_ “Not,”  _ the Pokemon across from you comments, amusement evident in their tone,  _ “an evolution you wanted, it seems.” _

You are tempted to growl at them but you reign it in and settle back down, intending to rest. Of course, this is the perfect time for your other to decide they absolutely  _ need  _ to explore the cell. As soon as you lay your head down you are dragged unceremoniously to your feet. There’s the shadow sensation of something cold and rough touching your nose and then pain flares up in your foot. Your other, not having figured out that bumping things too hard will create pain, whines unhappily.

_ Why can’t we just go to sleep,  _ you wonder, frustrated. You tug your other back through force of will, but they strain against your mental grasp and end up making you both trip. Your head smashes painfully against the rough floor, scraping your cheek. Pain and sadness (but mostly pain) filters into your mind. Teeth gritted, you shove it back and drag both of you to the center of your cell. The action tires you more than you thought it would and you finally manage to get your other to stop moving. 

They do keep nudging things with your feet, but you’re too tired to do anything about it and at long last you get some rest. Curiosity fills your mind as you slip into the comfortable haze of sleep.

_ Strange. _

  
  
  


_ … ? _

_! _

You wake up wondering what this thing is. It’s cool to the touch and surprisingly strong. Your nose flares with pain when you bump it and you whine unhappily, shaking your head.

… 

_ wait. _

That’s not you, you realize. It’s your other.

You exhale sharply in frustration and shove the false sensations out of your mind, somewhat clearing your head. Your nose still hurts and your other makes a pitiful noise that sends a twinge of something through your chest, but you ignore it and try to drag both of you back to the center of the cell. 

Your other tugs back, clearly wanting to continue exploring, but you grit your teeth and push back.  _ Stop doing that,  _ you hiss mentally.  _ Go to sleep. _

_ … p.. e..? _

A mix of emotions brushes your mind; sadness and curiosity and something that feels odd. You can’t tell what it is, but it’s light and gentle, calming you. It’s nice and it’s  _ scary. _

_ Now,  _ you hiss mentally.

There’s a moment of sadness and then your other relents, settling onto the floor and curling up to sleep without complaint. They try to nuzzle into you, seeking warmth. You are frozen for a minute before you  r̶e̶l̶u̶c̶t̶a̶n̶t̶l̶y̶ pull away, ignoring the ensuing noise of sadness.

Sleep comes not quite as quickly as before for you. As you lie there, listening to the steady breaths of your other, you can’t help but wonder if this will be a problem.

As it turns out, it will be.

You are alert and ready, ears perked up. Your other’s distraction filters into your mind as they shift around, feet tapping restlessly on the floor. You still your body, crouching slightly. 

The ground starts to rumble slightly under your feet and you tense, ready to move. As soon as you feel the earth start to split apart you move, narrowly dodging the crack. You land on the ground running, darting around the field in a familiar way.

Your other proves to be more of a hindrance than a help, however. They act mostly as dead weight, dragging you down, and the confusion and fear radiating into your mind isn’t much of a help, either. The ground tremors beneath your feet and you skid to the side, trying to dodge the incoming pillar of stone. Thanks to your other, though, you aren’t fast enough and get thrown up into the air. Your other wails as you fly through the air, flopping about uselessly as you try to regain some sense of control. The landing is rough, both of you tumbling across the ground until you finally force a stop.

Paralyzing fear and pain radiate into your mind, slowing you down as you try and fight two battles in one. You try and pull both of you up, fighting against your other’s grasp. With a mighty heave, you push both of you up, standing proud. 

There’s a yell from a human, their cruel voice grating on your ears, and then a grunt. It’s not a human grunt, that’s for sure. You inhale, gathering up fear and pain from inside you, and expel it in the form of a strong Dark Pulse. The ensuing noise of contact affirms your enemy’s location and you capitalize on that, launching a volley of attacks. Your opponent makes a sound of pain and determination flares up in your gut. 

But despite your best efforts, you are tiring. Your other lags more and more behind with every attack, their exhaustion dragging you down. You make a valiant effort to keep moving, but every Dragon Pulse saps more and more energy out of you. Eventually, you have to stop your assault, just for a moment, but it’s enough. Your opponent immediately capitalizes on your exhaustion and attacks, the ground splitting beneath your feet. 

Desperately, you try to yank your feet out of the cracks, scrabbling at the earth. Paralyzing fear worms its way into your mind, making you struggle even harder. You manage to get a foot out and for a moment hope flares up in your mind, dispelling the fear but then the earth quakes and you are thrown up. 

You try to regain control over your limbs, trying to work yourself into a safe position for landing, but it’s too little too late. Something smashes into your back and you are tossed about on pillars of stone, finally landing on the ground with a painful thump. You roll over, wincing in pain and try to get up. 

The operative word is, sadly,  _ try. _

As soon as you manage to overcome your other’s fear and panic, pushing yourself up on one foot, the earth splits open beneath you with a menacing  _ crack  _ and you fall in.

And you keep on falling, 

falling,

  
  


falling,

  
  
  


… 

  
  
  


_ … :( _

Slowly, reality fades in. Cold, rough floor beneath you. Chains around your feet. Rustling, quiet muttering in the distance, metal clanking together. The smell of dust and stone permeates the air.

Unhappiness filters into your mind, followed by restlessness. You ignore it, staying still for a few moments to let your body adjust before, with practiced ease, starting to stretch.

_ Legs first,  _ you remember.  _ Then neck - necks? Then stand up, stretch your back, and lie back down.  _ It was a good way to get the tiredness of fainting out of your body. 

Your other makes a confused noise when you rotate your neck back and forth, working out the stiffness. After a moment, their head bumps yours as you both attempt the same thing. You jerk away and resign yourself to doing all your stretches sideways. 

Once you’ve gotten all the kinks out you settle back down with a sigh, intending to rest. Bruises wouldn’t heal themselves, after all.

… 

Your foot twitches.

Your other bumps you with their head, making a noise. You can’t quite tell what they’re trying to say, so you keep sleeping.

They keep nudging you, though, and making that noise so eventually you lift your head and hiss softly,  _ What? _

There’s a beat of silence, until a single word resonates through your head.  _ Move? _

_ You want to move?  _ you ask skeptically.

Happiness and some other unrecognizable emotion filters into your mind. You suppress a groan, considering just letting your other do their thing, but your body protests at the sudden movement and your other makes a sad noise.

_ Hurts. _

Something stabs at your chest when you hear it; sadness, maybe? Whatever it is, it weighs you down. It reminds you of what once was.

_ Then go to sleep,  _ you answer, not very kindly. 

_ No hurts? _

_ It’ll stop hurting,  _ you say, lying your head back down. Your other keeps twitching, though, clearly rather restless.

_ Move? _

You exhale exasperatedly.  _ Go. To. Sleep. _

Finally, your other stops moving and allows you to settle down onto the floor. They try to cuddle up to you, humming softly, but you move away, ignoring their noise of unhappiness and the way your chest twinges. Soon enough, the soft haze of sleep brushes your mind. They must have been tired after all.

_ “Like two young chicks,”  _ the Pokemon opposite you notes, words tinted with mockery.

_ “Don’t,”  _ you say coldly, keeping your voice low. 

Privately, you can’t help but think that evolving may have just been worse.


	8. A Sea Nourished With Lover's Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot wait till Christmas break. Jesus Christ, I have been so stressed. I'm just glad I've already finished this story otherwise I'd have to put off posting this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

_ SKZZZZZZZZZZZZ _

You jolt awake, inhaling sharply. Something’s wrong, very wrong, and you bury your face into the floor, praying that the noise would stop. Fear twists your stomach into knots.

_ KKZZZZ -  _ _ ZZZZZZZZZ! _

Your other whines unhappily, burying their head into your neck. You don’t pull away this time, allowing them some form of comfort.  I̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶’̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶l̶f̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶n̶e̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶.̶

The noise has died down to a mellower clanking, which you can actually tolerate. You lift your head carefully, testing the air. Your other stays where they are, warm breath puffing out over your fur. It smells more… metallic than usual, somehow. There isn’t the usual alive-scent that most Pokemon carry. What is this?

Your other finally dares to pull away, shifting hesitantly towards the noise. You reluctantly follow, still trying to discern what’s going on. Is this a Pokemon? Is it something else? 

_ “Recalibrating…”  _

Your other skids back in shock, or at least tries to, making both of you trip and fall. There’s a metallic buzzing noise, almost like laughter. You push yourself up, spine prickling. 

_ “Map analysis shows no location results.” _

Confusion (and curiosity) replaces the fear radiating from your other’s mind. You tilt your head, puzzled. Map analysis? Location results?

_ “Analysing new environment.” _

Their voice is distinctly monotone, without any inflection or a hint of emotion. It makes you tense, feet digging into the floor. Every Pokemon you’d met so far had some sort of unique voice quality; the Pokemon across from you had a cool, rough sort of voice, the Pokemon who had been your first battle had a lulling, gentle tone, C̶a̶s̶s̶’̶ ̶v̶o̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶w̶e̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶k̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶f̶e̶c̶t̶. What was this? Who were they?

Your other makes a sad noise, butting your neck. You shift away slightly, still trying to puzzle it out. Were they a threat? Were they a Pokemon? 

Of course, your other doesn’t seem to have such qualms. Not anymore, anyway. They tug you towards the metal-mon’s voice, radiating curiosity. Words spill out of their mouth in bits and pieces;  _ “wh - r - y-u wh - ma - env-r-m-nt?” _

There’s a lilting sort of buzz, almost curious in a way.  _ “Please enunciate your words clearly.” _

_ Enunciate? _ __   
  


Your other makes a huffy sort of sound, pseudo-unhappiness filtering into your brain.  _ “wh - a-e -u wa - a - envr-nt?” _

_ “Cannot comprehend. Analysis shows there is another head. Will the other head please speak?” _

Some sort of pseudo-happiness brushes your mind. You shake your head, reluctant to do so. More of the pseudo-happiness tries to invade your brain and you push it away, taking a step back. Why would you want to?

But your other keeps pushing, insistent on getting you to say it. You manage to hold out for a few more moments before finally succumbing to their overwhelming waves of cheer.  _ Just this once,  _ you tell yourself.  _ That’s it. _

_ “Alright,”  _ you say. Your voice comes out rather rough. In your head, you say  _ What were you trying to say? _

_ Who are you and what’s an env-i-ron-ment?  _ your other replies. You cough a bit of rock from your throat, wincing, and say  _ “Who are you and what’s an environ-ment?” _

_ “My designation is KELLY, of species KLANG. Environment: defined as the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded.” _

_ Circumstances?  _ you wonder. Your other seems to be feeling the same way, as they attempt to ask a question.  _ “wha- ci-cum-s-an-e?” _

_ “Do you mean: what circumstance?” _

_ “yea.” _

_ “Circumstance is defined as a condition, fact, or event accompanying, conditioning, or determining another.” _

Their - Kelly’s - definition just makes it even more confusing. You shake your head.  _ “Don’t un-derstand.” _

Kelly makes an odd sound, this time more low-pitched. It’s almost like a sigh.  _ “Your surroundings.” _

_ “wha r su-r-un-dings?” _

There’s a low buzz.  _ “Do you really not know this?” _

Your other whimpers sadly, nuzzling into your neck. Sadness brushes your mind and your spine prickles. You shouldn’t have thought this was a good idea. Clearing your mind forcefully, you shift your head away and pull your other away from Kelly.

_ “I apologize. I shouldn’t have said that.” _

You doubt your other knows what the word  _ ‘apologize’  _ means (you’re not too sure, either) but they perk up anyways, tugging you both back towards Kelly. You decide to leave them to it, preferring instead to tug bits of gravel out of your feet. Your other seems to be having fun, anyway. No point in denying them that.

_ “Wonder where I’ve seen this before,”  _ the Pokemon across you says, a hint of laughter in their voice.  _ “Oh well. I’m sure you’ll realize eventually.” _

Fury bubbles up in your gut. You are sorely tempted to attack them, but you know perfectly well that the bars and chains will stop you. So you satisfy yourself by digging your paws into the floor beneath you, relishing the feeling. Thankfully, your other doesn’t seem to notice their words, too busy talking.

Kelly, however, does. There’s a lilting buzz.  _ “Please elaborate: seen this before?” _

Your gut clenches in a bad way and your other makes an unhappy noise.  _ “What do you mean.” _

_ “I would have thought you were beyond lying,”  _ the Pokemon across you murmurs, voice low and smooth and mocking.  _ “Don’t you remember her? C-” _

_ “Shut it,”  _ you snarl. Sadness and pain hits you like a stone pillar, making your chest hurt. You wish the anger would come back. 

_ You hurts? _

Your other’s words make you freeze, cold all of a sudden. You don’t want to think about who they sound like. So you don’t.

_ No,  _ you respond.  _ Stop asking. _

_ “Cold as always,”  _ the Pokemon opposite you says, laughing again.  _ “Evolution has changed you, hasn’t it.” _

You ignore them and tug your other to the ground, curling your head up to sleep. Your other nudges you but you don’t move. 

_ “You shouldn’t be saying those things to her,”  _ Kelly states, voice somehow more monotone than usual. There’s a low metallic sound.  _ “It’s impolite.” _

The Pokemon across you snorts.  _ “Spoilsport.” _

You let the rest of their conversation fade away into the background. You don’t want to think about anything right now.


	9. Come, Gentle Night; Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ten is here! Hopefully y'all are liking it so far. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

Your other practically floats for the next few days, happiness constantly filtering into your mind. It’s soft, not like fur, but in a different way that you just can’t describe. Even battling, like you’re doing now, which usually sent tremors of fear and pain pressing into your mind, couldn’t stop the flow of lightness. 

It’s painful in a way you don’t want to think about. So, you don’t. You ignore the emotions coming from your other’s mind j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶i̶g̶n̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ and focus only on your opponent. They smell sharp and metallic in a funny way, kind of like the water that comes from your face sometimes. A rushing sound meets your ears and you skid out of the way, drops splashing onto your side. Your other hisses at the sudden cold, confusion filtering into their mind. Distracted again, you think tiredly and launch a Dragon Pulse towards your opponent.

Fighting with another Pokemon in you is an odd experience that you have yet to get used to. You try to dodge an attack, they lag behind. You attempt to jump, their limbs fumble about, tangling midair. You try and roll to do a smooth landing, they don’t cooperate and you end up landing in a painful pile on the floor arena. 

It’s lucky for both of you that the next attack doesn’t hurt too badly, only sending you skidding back a bit before you dig your feet in and stabilize yourself. You draw up a Dark Pulse and launch it outwards, hearing water splash loudly onto the floor. A Dragon Pulse intercepts the ensuing attack and you launch another before (hopefully) your opponent can react. There’s a low noise, something between a hiss and a cry, and then a vicious wave of cold shudders over the arena.

Your other whines unhappily, fear trickling slowly into your brain and then halting. Your body is starting to shut down, limbs freezing over with pain and then numbness. You have to move somehow, get out of this prison, but your body disobeys.

In desperation, you summon a weak Dragon Pulse and launch it towards… somewhere. You’re not sure. There’s a cracking sound and suddenly the ice that was creeping over you shatters, falling onto the arena floor with a tinkling sound. Your other starts, surprise pressing at the edge of your mind. A stream of super-hot water connects with you, the heat painful but also refreshing after the ice, and you shake your limbs out, now feeling much more energized.

A powerful Dark Pulse drives away an onslaught of freezing wind. You slide across the arena floor, which is cold to the touch, and launch another Dragon Pulse. Your opponent retaliates with a vicious stream of water, rushing towards you, but at that moment your other stumbles and you trip to the floor. Water splashes over your fur. 

You’ve never been glad for your other’s lack of coordination, but here you are. Your opponent hisses and you interrupt them with a Dragon Pulse. Your feet skid against the floor, trying to push yourself up, but you fall again and a blast of cold freezes one of your limbs. You attempt to break out, but more blasts of cold come in quick succession, completely icing you over. It’s painful for a brief moment and then everything is numb.

…. 

…. 

Something bitter invades your mouth.

You cough and hack, trying to spit it out. It tastes disgusting. Your body is sluggish and freezing. You shift, struggling against your prison. Is this a new  _ human  _ creation? Is this their new way of imprisoning you?

There’s a loud crack and you break free, staggering and then promptly falling flat on the floor. A buzz sounds above you and you whimper, curling up as electricity jolts right through you. Your other cries out in pain.

A  _ whoosh  _ and everything fades out.

… 

… 

… 

Sensations trickle back slowly. Rough floor beneath your body. Cold metal wrapped around your limbs. Static buzzing in your fur - paralysis. Great. Probably, you think bitterly, an aftereffect of the buzzy things.

Your other twitches beside you, groaning unhappily, and then promptly flopping into your neck. You try to move away but a shiver of static passes over you, leaving you immobilized.

Might as well rest.

… 

… 

The first thing you notice is that there is no longer static in your fur. You stretch out a limb, relishing the feeling of not being paralyzed.

The second thing you notice is the loud, painfully so, buzzing of metal.

Your other lifts their head, grogginess of sleep filtering into your mind. Face pressed into the rough floor, you can tell the exact moment when the noise kicks in as they bury their face into your fur, whining unhappily. You press your ears flat you your head and try to ignore the buzzing.

_ “WhEre aRe we goINg?!?!” _

Kelly.

Your other seems to register this fact as well. They dare to lift their head against the onslaught of noise.  _ “ke-e-ly?” _

_ “I do ------ tAkING M ---!!” _

Kelly’s voice keeps on shorting out, but the buzzing does not. You can faintly recognize the tone of their voice as panic, despite the loud ringing in your head. Your other drags you up and to the bars of your cell, fueled by Kelly’s panic.  _ “ke-e-ly! ke-e-ly!” _

Panic invades your mind, which isn’t helping at all. You slam your face into the bars, trying to distract yourself from the  _ everything _ that’s going on. The ensuing burst of pain brings some sense of clarity into your head.

By now, the buzzing has died down, replaced by a metallic whirr that soon dies down. Your other whines, confused and panicked at the same time.  _ “w-w-where ke-e-ly?” _

You don’t want to say it, but the conclusion is forming in your head. Your gut twists; with your emotions or your other’s, you can’t tell.

_ “Kelly is gone,”  _ the Pokemon across you says bluntly. 

_ “g-gone?” _

Your heart drops. This feels bitterly familiar.

_ “Yes,”  _ the Pokemon across you continues.  _ “Gone. Vanished. Whatever. You won’t be seeing your metal friend anymore.” _

And although your other may not have the firmest grasp of language, they can still figure it out.

A mournful cry starts up next to you. Grief and fear press up against your mind, terrifyingly familiar in a way you can’t place. Your other drops to the ground and you fall with them. There’s a sound of impact and a shadow of pain flares up across your face; they probably hit their head on the bars.

_ “You done wailing like a hungry chick?”  _ the Pokemon across demands harshly.  _ “Good. Now let me sleep.” _

Surprised, your other falls silent and then they bury their face into your neck, wet stuff dripping onto your fur. You are tempted to pull away, but-

but -

there’s just something about it, about them. Something about them that’s horribly familiar and -  _ oh. _

It’s you.

You can feel yourself in your other; the sadness, the fear, the pain clenching in your stomach and chest. You can feel yourself in the wet stuff soaking into your fur, in the grit digging into your neck and cheek. Despite the discomfort, you just can’t bring yourself to move away because that was  _ you,  _ once upon a time.

Your other makes a quiet surprised noise when you move your head to gently nuzzle theirs in an attempt to comfort. You’re not quite sure what to do, but you assume that physical touch should be involved. There’s a moment of surprise and then grief bursts across your mind, flooding your head with a mix of  _ fear-pain-sad.  _ You want to cry and yell because Ke-e-ly is gone and you don’t know what will happen to her and they were so nice all the time. 

You don’t want to feel this. You don’t want to feel sad or scared like this. You used to feel like this but now you don’t and it was fine until your other showed up and suddenly you have to feel like this and everything’s strange and terrifying and -

_ Hurts. _

Your other’s quiet whimper echoes through your mind. It takes you a moment to react.

_ Hurts? _

_ Sad. Hurts. _

You don’t respond. What do you say?

_ I-I _

_ I sad. _

_ You’re sad,  _ you answer quietly. 

_ I scared,  _ your other whines unhappily.  _ D-do- no wan’ be here. no wan’ f-f-fig-t. _

You don’t answer for a long time, enough for your other to start pulling away. Immediately you miss their warmth.

_ I’m scared too,  _ you whisper. It’s barely there.

_ You s-scared? _

_ I’m scared. Of the hu-mans. Of the buzzy things. Of what’s gonna hap-pen. _

_ But you s-st-rong! You f-fig-t! _

_ I’m still scared. _

Your other falls silent, and then suddenly they nuzzle up into you.  _ No scared. I pro-tect. _

It’s a funny sentiment. Your other can barely fight, not as well as you do. You’ve been fighting for far longer. You should be protecting.

But there’s something about the way they say it that makes you feel young again. Your mother and their warmth is nothing but a distant memory by now, but somehow your other’s warmth feels similar. They’re like Cass, you realize, a point of kindness and warmth in the cold place you live in. You can’t let them slip away. You can’t let them get hurt, like Cass was.

_ I know,  _ you answer.  _ I protect you, too. _

It’s a promise.

Your other is worryingly quiet.

You made a promise to protect them. You told yourself that you couldn’t let them get hurt, not anymore. So what was going wrong? Why couldn’t you help them?

You just - didn’t  _ understand  _ what they were feeling. You didn’t get it. They had all sorts of weird emotions that you couldn’t name or place and they tended to get unhappy at the smallest things. You knew you should be - what was the word -  _ nicer,  _ since they had just lost Kelly, but what did you do to be nice? Sing like Cass did? You didn’t know how to sing. You barely even knew what singing was. Heal them? You couldn’t heal. Cuddle them? It felt awkward. And strange. Nothing made  _ sense. _

Worse was when you had to battle. Your other didn’t have as much experience as you did and relied mostly on you to guide them. You tried, but how could you teach someone to  _ fight?  _ You had learned through passing out and just doing it over and over again. Would they have to learn the same way? 

But everytime they lag behind when you’re walking, forcing you to pull harder, your chest tightens. When you battle and they’re too slow in dodging with you, your gut clenches. You’ve been managing to stay away from the wrath of the humans for a bit now and you know that if you don’t follow them you’ll get hurt and so will your other. It’s some odd emotion called  _ worry  _ that keeps you on edge, day by day. It was a lot easier when you didn’t  _ worry  _ about other mons. But now you do and you have no idea what to do about it.

Today, the humans seem particularly angry about something. You can hear it in their words, blazing with an icy warmth. Your other nuzzles into your neck. Their touch makes you instinctively want to move away but you suppress the feeling and let them do it, curling your head around theirs slightly. 

There’s a few more moments of heated talking and then a rush of air passes your cheek, metal barely brushing your cheek. It makes you flinch. A human clips a chain to the things on your necks and pulls both of you up. You struggle to your feet - to both your feet - hissing at the painful pressure on your neck. Your other lets out a strangled noise and hurriedly you pull both of you forwards, trying to release some of the pressure. 

The humans drag you down the hallway and you have to scramble to keep up. Your other flails a bit beside you. A burst of pain flares up on one of your feet and both of you trip. Your other takes the brunt of the fall, a shadow of gritty pain flaring up over your cheek.

_ “Ouch,”  _ the Pokemon across you comments but it’s barely heard over the shout of anger the human lets out. A familiar buzzing sound makes you flinch away, tucking your head hurriedly under your paws swiftly. Electric pain carves a line on your sensitive feet. Your other cries out in pain but you, on instinct, quash it and stagger back to your feet.

_ It hurts,  _ your other whines plaintively. Indeed it does. The rough floor pressing against your painful feet sends shocks of pain buzzing about your limbs. 

_ I know,  _ you say simply, unsure of what else to say, and keep moving. Not moving will just make it worse. Your other falls silent and keeps moving as well. They’re trying to ignore their pain like you, you can tell, but flickers of it slip through, pressing up against your mind.

As per usual, you are dragged to the arena. Your other takes a shaky breath, air brushing your cheek. You crouch, breaths coming steadily to your lungs. There’s a grunt, presumably your opponent’s, and a hot smell fills the air. 

You don’t even get any time before electricity sears the air all around you and you duck, charging up a Dragon Pulse. Sparks lick painfully at your fur but the feeling dissipates swiftly. You launch your attack as soon as the feeling melts away, hoping it hits. The ensuing grunt confirms that it does.

Your other is a heavy weight at your side as you start moving, leaping away from an incoming flare of electricity. The floor is cracked beneath your feet and you barely avoid tripping, ducking into an awkward roll and exhaling another Dragon Pulse. You’re not sure if it hits (you doubt it did) but that’s not what matters because the air around you radiates a bursting sort of heat and you barely manage to duck away. You are fast enough to avoid the flames searing your face but your other is not quite as lucky. They let out a pained cry as a burning feeling rips through your body, making your teeth clench in pain. You draw on all the emotions your other had been feeling in the past few days and expel them in the form of a vicious Dark Pulse, fur bristling.

Your opponent lets out a pained grunt. Electricity ripples the air near your fur and then fades away, leaving you shuddering as sparks run over your fur. You blast them with another Dragon Pulse and the ensuing cry lets you know that it’s hit. 

Your other pants next to you, breaths coming in shallowly. You stay still, muscles twitching and ready. No attack comes, though.

_ We w-wi- _

_ Win?  _ you supply.  _ Yes. _

There is no joy that you expected, nor cool satisfaction or bright warmth. Instead, there’s an overwhelming burst of sadness. It makes you stagger with the sheer force of it. 

_ No want hurt. No want hurt ot-oth-other. _

It takes you a moment to figure out what they’re saying, but once you do it makes your gut sink. You don’t have a  _ choice _ on whether or not you get to fight. It’s simply become a part of life: wake up, battle, sleep, repeat. How could you  _ not  _ hurt others?

The question is irritatingly confusing, so you simply don’t respond. A sudden tiredness fills you. They’ll have to learn eventually, like you did. The prospect fills you with an odd blend of fear-sadness-hopelessness.

The humans finally chain you back up and drag you bodily back to your cell. Your other is painfully, bitterly silent, radiating guilt and unhappiness the whole way. 


	10. A Madness Most Discreet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever get that feeling? Like, you're writing a sad chapter and you don't want to but you have to but at the same time you don't want to because your characters have imprinted on you? Yeah that's happening with one of my stories. I think I've gone insane. :]
> 
> On the brighter side, I watched YG Treasure Box and I'm sad now. Gosh darn it, YG. Why would you do this. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

Your attempts at getting some sleep don’t last very long.

You are woken by a vicious roar and the sounds of multiple things hitting the floor. Confused, you swivel your head about, shuddering for a moment as electricity hisses weakly through your fur. The paralysis hasn’t worn off yet and static ripples through you as you try to stand. 

_ Mmmm…!  _ your other complains, mind still fuzzy with sleep. You tug them up anyway, nudging them towards the bars of your cell. Your other grumbles, bumping you irritatedly and hissing at the still-there paralysis. An odd feeling spreads through your chest.

The roaring is getting louder and there’s a power sound like something breaking. You and your other both flinch. Your other hisses, stumbling back and almost making you trip. Carefully, you steady yourself and drag both of you back to the bars.

_ “Never expected this to be my fate,”  _ the Pokemon across you comments.  _ “Interesting girl. Well, at least I’ll be out of this hole.” _

_ “What’sthiswhat’sthiswhat’sthiswhat’sthiswhat’sthis? Dragondragondragondragondragon?” _

_ “Fr- _ zzzt- _ e? Lea _ -zzzt- _ e?” _

_ Girl,  _ you wonder? What’s going on?   
  


The din is getting louder. Footsteps rush by, along with a chorus of cries. Your other flinches back but you press forwards, feeling bright somehow but not sure why. What’s going to happen? What’s all this? What’ll happen now?

_ “Well, maybe I’ll be seeing you,”  _ the Pokemon across you says, voice amused.  _ “You’re an interesting one, you know that? I’d like to pick you apart someday… but only when you’re stronger. You have a long way to go.” _

And then there’s a clang of metal and a clatter of chains and an odd rustling sound.  _ “Goodbye, odd fledgling.” _

_ Good… bye? _

There’s a clang right in front of you and your other staggers back, dragging you as well. Paralysis ripples through your fur, making you fall and hit your face. 

_ Clnng  _ and then a human is touching you, reaching for your neck. You push yourself away, hissing. Sparks buzz through your fur. Your other makes a scared noise, pressing their face to your neck.

“Hey!” the human is saying. “Hey! Hey. Stay still, okay?”

You are not willing to obey a  _ human,  _ least of all one that is trying to touch you. You don’t even know what they’re trying to do! A hand presses over your face and you snap forwards, aiming at nothing in particular.  _ “Get away!”  _ you snarl, bristling. Electricity shudders through you.

“C’moon,” they say. “Let me help youu!”

You have no particular idea what they’re trying to say, but you doubt it’s good.

_ “Hey,”  _ someone snarls.  _ “Hey. Stop being an idiot and let her help you.” _

_ “Who are you?”  _ you hiss in return, trying to mentally size them up. They smell of grit and something you can’t quite describe but it’s hot and fierce. 

_ “Why do you want to know?”  _ they snap in return.  _ “Just let her help you! And if you dare try to hurt her I’ll rip those ridiculous things off your back!” _

Your other is keening, a scared noise that only serves to rile you up even further. Your feet dig into the rocky floor. You could probably fight whoever this was off, if you needed to. Maybe. But you’d definitely try.

_ “Iris, please come help! There’s a badly burned Simisage here and a poisoned Musharna!” _

“Pastel? Wh - uh oh. Rosebud, take care of the Zweilous, okay?”

There’s a pattering of footsteps which you assume is the human leaving. Good.

_ “Stay where you are,”  _ the Pokemon, presumably Rose-bud, growls.  _ “And don’t think about doing anything.” _

Their words make you want to do something but electricity hissing over your fur reminds you of your still-weak state.  _ “Fine!”  _ you snarl and tug your other down, curling up to get some sleep. Maybe it’ll help you feel better.

‘Rose-bud’ snorts and there’s a sound of impact, likely them sitting or lying down. You close your eyes for a brief second, relaxing as sleep settles over you. Hopefully the paralysis will be gone soon.

Except you can’t because some irritating Pokemon is making an uproar and you lift your head up, searching for the source of the sound. It quiets soon, thankfully, and you curl back to sleep. Your other gently nestles their head under yours, seeking warmth.

_ “Freethankyougrasstreesfree!”  _ a Pokemon crows proudly. The rhythm of their feet sounds on the floor until it fades away.

_ “My sister… my dreams… thank you…”  _ This time there are no footsteps, just an odd smell that makes your head spin for a moment. An odd haze settles over you.

_ “Ey, snap out of it,”  _ ‘Rose-bud’ snarls.  _ “Musharna smoke isn’t something to be inhaling.” _

You have no idea what ‘Musharna’ means but their words dispel the odd feeling swiftly. Your other makes a confused noise, bumping you with their head.  _ What was that?  _ they wonder.

_ Mu-shar-na-smoke,  _ you respond. Confusion pokes your mind before it is replaced by the hissing static of paralysis, though it is weaker this time.

“Hey, Rosebud!” the human chirps, footsteps thumping close to you. Your fur pricks, teeth bared in warning. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. All I want is to help you, okay? See?”

You do in fact not see. Other Pokemon have told you about things they ‘see’ but you can never quite understand what they mean.

“Or smell, I suppose,” the human says. Something cool brushes your nose and you hiss, paws digging into the stone floor. “Can you smell it? Isn’t it nice?”

_ “Just smell the Casteliacone,”  _ Rose-bud grumbles.

Unwillingly, you inhale. It smells… What is that smell? You’ve never smelled anything like it before. Castelia-cone?

_ “Do you seriously not know what that is?” _

_ “Why would I?”  _ you snap back.  _ “You think I’ve been anywhere other than this place?” _

Rose-bud huffs.  _ “You eat it, you idiot. I’m assuming you know how to do that?” _

_ “Well, I had to eat to survive,”  _ you snarl. It wasn’t very often, but oh well. Leaning forwards, you and your other take a hesitant bite of the Cas-te-li-a-cone. The taste is even stranger than the smell, bursting in your mouth. 

_ Cold,  _ your other says, surprised.

_ Yeah,  _ you say. Sparks hiss through your fur but it’s almost gone, just a tingly sensation. Whatever a Cas-te-li-a-cone is, it seems to be helping you. You and your other take another bite and the paralysis fades away, leaving you loose-limbed and a lot more comfortable than you had been.

“There we go,” the human says cheerfully. It makes you bristle. “See? I told you I wouldn’t hurt you. Hold on for a moment and let me take off your chains.”

You stay where you are, not quite sure what they’re saying but unwilling to take the risk. A hand brushes your side.

_ “Don’t move,”  _ Rose-bud growls. You move anyway, shifting to the side. There’s a hiss of frustration and suddenly claws are ripping through your chains, pointed tips snagging your fur and making you hiss in pain. Metal drops to the floor with a clanking noise and suddenly you’re free.

You’re free?

_ Free?  _ your other echoes, taking a hesitant step forwards. No chains drag against your limbs. No metal shifts uncomfortably on your neck.

There’s so much you can do now. You can run and jump and poke things and sleep and do what you want and -

You don’t know the way out.

Oh well, you’ll just figure it out somehow. It doesn’t matter because you’re -

“Hey, do you want to come with me?”

The human is speaking. You ignore them and keep moving, blindly following the path you usually take. 

_ “Listen to her!”  _ Rose-bud snarls.  _ “Going with her is a huge privilege.” _

You don’t know what ‘pri-vi-lege’ is but those words stop you in your tracks. Going with her? 

_ “We don’t even know her!”  _ you snap, bristling.  _ “Why would I go with a human?” _

_ “Listen, you idiot!”  _ Rose-bud growls.  _ “She has helped you. She freed you. Trust me, you could do a lot worse. At least listen when she speaks!” _

“Is that a yes?” the human is saying. “No? Don’t worry about me hurting you. I can help you, I promise! See? I won’t hurt you!”

_ “What are they even saying?”  _ you say to Rose-bud. 

_ “She’s going to help you,”  _ Rose-bud snaps back.  _ “Just - just let her catch you. Okay? Give it a chance.” _

You are unwilling, fur bristling and ready to run for it, but your other stops you.  _ Give chance?  _ they murmur pleadingly.  _ They help us? Ple-please? _

It’s this that makes you give in, nodding hesitantly.  _ “Fine,”  _ you snap.  _ “Not because of you, though.” _

_ “I couldn’t care less,”  _ Rose-bud snorts.

“That’s a yes, then?” the human says, voice filled with happiness. “Really? Yes! You won’t regret it, I promise!”

Something metallic brushes your head and you are suddenly sucked into a tiny,  _ tiny  _ space.

Your other panics.  _ Small no help!  _ they wail, lashing out against the walls. You twist around and kick out at a spot on the wall. It’s fairly tough but you keep kicking, wanting to be out of here as soon as possible.

_ Snap. _

The confinement breaks and suddenly you’re standing on the floor once more. Your other inhales raggedly, happiness brushing your mind.

“What?” the human says, sounding sad. “Do you not want to go?”

_ “Just get in the ball,”  _ Rose-bud snaps.  _ “I thought you wanted to go!” _

_ “I don’t,”  _ you snap.  _ “But they do. I’m not staying in that ball, though.” _

_ “Arceus-damn it!”  _ Rose-bud snarls.  _ “Just- get in.” _

And before you can react you are being thrown up into the air. Your other cries out as pain ripples through your body. The metallic thing brushes your head again and you are back in that  _ tiny  _ space.

_ No,  _ your other cries out, unhappy.  _ Want out! Please! _

You lash out against the walls, hoping that you can break out before it locks in. Just as you think it’s about to give there’s a menacing  _ click  _ and the space shuts down completely.

Your other buries their head into your neck, breathing roughly. You curl your head around theirs and try to radiate calming thoughts.

You desperately hope that this will turn out okay.


	11. Say Good Night Till It Be Morrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School's back. Yay? Since I'm in high school, we're doing virtual learning every day, but lockdown edition. Woohoo...
> 
> Sadly, this means I won't have as much time to write. I was doing really good during the break, but well. Some updates on other stories might be delayed.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

_ “Hi! My name’s Caroline. I’m one of the three Chanseys who work for this Pokemon Center! What’s your name?” _

Your other makes a confused noise, fear slowly dissipating as they take a deep breath of cool air. You inhale and find that it smells different, somehow. Clearer.

Where  _ are  _ you, that the air is like this?

_ “Do you not have a name?”  _ ‘Ca-ro-line’ asks, voice pitching higher in a question. You shake your head in response.

_ “No.” _

Your voice is rather rough. You cough multiple times, trying to get the grit out. Dirt scrapes your throat.

_ “Here,”  _ ‘Ca-ro-line’ says. Something is pushed against one of your feet. You reach out to poke it. It’s cool in a way like metal but at the same time not like metal. It doesn’t seem to be stone or dirt, either.

What kind of place  _ is _ this?

_ “Drink,”  _ ‘Ca-ro-line’ says gently.  _ “You seem a little dehydrated, if your voice is that rough. It’ll help.” _

You have no idea what ‘de-hy-dra-ted’ is, but you sniff the thing anyway. It smells cool and clear. Your other leans down as well, face brushing your own.  _ It’s good!  _ they cheer, making slurping noises.  _ You d-drink too! _

Tentatively, you lean down and take a sip. The water - it seems like water - is cool and oddly refreshing on your tongue. There’s no trace of dirt. No odd metallic taste either. You swallow and it slides smoothly down your throat. You inhale and this time it feels smoother. 

Where  _ were  _ you?

_ “Where are we?”  _ you ask. Your voice is less rough this time. 

There’s a tinkling laugh. It reminds you of Cass’ laugh, a painful memory from a time long gone.  _ “We’re in a Pokemon Center, silly. Where else would you be?” _

You don’t know what a Po-ke-mon Cen-ter is. Your other lifts their head, a droplet of water brushing your cheek and rolling down your neck. It makes you twitch.  _ “What’s a Po - ke - mon - cen-ter?” _

There’s a beat of silence.

_ “What?!” _

Your other recoils, hiding into your fur. You shift into a crouched position, accidentally knocking over the thing of water. A clanging noise meets your ears.

_ “Oh my Mew, I am so sorry,”  _ ‘Ca-ro-line’ says.  _ “I didn’t mean to startle you like that, I promise. But how do you not know what a Pokemon Center is? You have a trainer!” _

_ What is trai-ner?  _ your other wonders. You sift through your list of words, trying to remember if you’ve ever heard the word  _ trai-ner.  _ Perhaps the odd Pokemon who liked repeating itself had mentioned it before, but that memory was long gone. 

You frown for a moment, thinking back on what Ca-ro-line had said.  _ “You called yourself a… Chansey?” _

_ “That’s what I am!”  _ Ca-ro-line responds cheerfully. 

Your other bumps you gently, likely sensing your fear. You inhale (a deep breath of nice,  _ clear  _ air) and ask,  _ “Do you know a Chansey named Cass?”  _ It’s strange, saying Cass’ name. You hadn’t said it for so long.

_ “Cass, Cass, Cass,”  _ Ca-ro-line hums.  _ “Yeah, I do! When we were just little Happiny we were training together to become medical Chanseys! I heard she was working at the Mistralton Pokemon Center!” _

_ “Is she still there?”  _ you ask. Your chest tightens. What if she didn’t get out? What if she was trapped somewhere? What if she had -

_ “I don’t know,”  _ Ca-ro-line says, voice drooping unhappily.  _ “I haven’t seen her recently. Last I heard, some terrible thieves raided the Pokemon Center there. I hope Cass wasn’t caught.” _

Your stomach drops because you know all too well whether Cass was or wasn’t caught. 

_ “Was she a friend of yours?”  _ Ca-ro-line asks, voice gentle. You hesitantly nod.  _ “I’m so sorry, then. I don’t know where she is. But I’m sure you’ll find her!” _

Your other decides to speak up then. Their voice doesn’t sound as rough as yours.  _ “Do you know a - a - K-lang named Kel-ly?” _

_ “Kelly?”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “Huh, that is funny. I do, actually. They levitated in through our window one day looking rather rough.”  _ Ca-ro-line’s voice drops lower.  _ “Parts of their body were rusting! And they could barely speak! And I’m pretty sure that one of their gears was partially melted! Who would do such a thing?” _

Your other whimpers, burying their face into your neck. You press your nose to their head for a moment.  _ “Are they okay?”  _ you ask.  _ “Where are they now?” _

_ “Oh, they’re okay,”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “We took care of them and they’re all healed now. They left after a few days, though. Something about finding an old friend… N? M?” _

_ N,  _ you wonder. You had never heard of someone named  _ N.  _ Your other’s happiness filters into your mind, light and sweet.  _ “They-they are o-kay?” _

_ “Yep, don’t worry,”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “They’ll be all fine!” _

Your other hums happily, a low rumbling sound, and bumps your cheek. You bump them back halfheartedly. Part of you wants to be happy for your other, but another, bigger part wishes that Cass could have had a happier ending as well.

_ “Anyhow,”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “It looks like you’re done with that water. I’ll just take that real quick… oh! I completely forgot! I gotta go tell Nurse Joy! Stay there, okay?” _

_ “O-kay!”  _ your other says happily.

_ “Okay,”  _ you echo.

Footsteps patter off into the distance. Your other shifts around, poking at the metal beneath you. You rest your head on the metal surface and try to relax your tense muscles. It doesn’t quite work.

_ “Alright, I’m back!”  _ Ca-ro-line chirps, footsteps bouncing back. Your other stops poking the metal and hums happily, swaying their head. You look up and immediately duck to not get hit.

_ “Aww, that’s cute,”  _ Ca-ro-line says with a hint of laughter. Your other stills for a moment, bumping you gently, and then resumes their swaying. Cautiously you lift your head back up, relieved when you don’t get hit.

_ “But anyways,”  _ Ca-ro-line says,  _ “Nurse Joy will be here in a minute - oh! There she is! And your trainer, too! Nurse Jooooy!” _

Your other stills, sniffing the air curiously. You don’t move a muscle. 

“Nurse Joy, is she going to be alright?”

That’s the one who captured you. You can recognize the lilt in their voice. It automatically makes you bristle. 

“Your Zweillous will be alright, Iris. She’ll just have to stay here for a few weeks or so. Caroline and I will take good care of her, don’t worry.”

“Thanks, Nurse Joy!” your capturer, likely I-ris, says. There’s a cheerful tilt to their voice. 

“By the way,” the unfamiliar voice (Nurse Joy?) says, voice lowering. “May I ask where you caught this Zweilous? She’s underweight, her internal organs are damaged, and her fur is riddled with burn and paralysis scars. I know you’re a good trainer and I doubt you did this to her, but who could have?”

There’s a moment of tension charged silence. It makes your other shift, stomach rubbing against the metal. You press your paws into the metal, ready to bolt if need be.

“I think it was a smuggling ring,” ‘I-ris’ says quietly. You twitch your ears, trying to hear better. “I found her and others locked up in cages. They were in terrible condition, Nurse Joy. Some had muzzles or collars and they all looked so sad!”

“Did you contact the police?” ‘Nurse Joy’ says, voice tilting in worry.

Another moment of silence. Your other’s mind radiates worry, fizzling in and out against your mind like electricity. You resist a flinch.

“… no,” ‘I-ris’ says, voice worried. “I’m so sorry, I should have done that. I can now, if you want?”

‘Nurse Joy’ exhales sharply. The sound makes you bristle. “It’s okay. What’s important is that those Pokemon are out of there. Please call officer Jenny and let her know of this.”

“I will,” ‘I-ris,’ says. Footsteps sound for a moment and then disappear, leaving silence behind. You lie your head on the metal and try to puzzle through what you’d just heard. Mal-nou-rished? Or-gan? 

_ What’s or-organ?  _ your other wonders. 

_ I don’t know,  _ you respond, shifting your paws uncertainly.

“Alr ight,” ‘Nurse Joy’ says, voice regaining its cheer. “I need to check your lungs. Can you stay still for me, please?”

Your fur ruffles, sensing their proximity. Something brushes your head and you snap outwards, growling low in your chest.

_ “Hey!”  _ Ca-ro-line cries out. It makes you freeze.  _ “Hey, don’t do that! She was trying to help you!” _

“It’s okay, Caroline,” ‘Nurse Joy’ says. Their voice still maintains a calm sort of tone and that throws you off-guard a bit. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. All I’m going to do is place this on your chest.” 

Something cold touches your torso. You skitter away, bracing yourself with your hind legs but there’s nothing there and you flail helplessly for a moment. Your other lets out a high-pitched sound, grabbing randomly onto your leg for support. You pull both of you back onto the table, determinedly ignoring Ca-ro-line’s and ‘Nurse Joy’s’ laughter.

“I won’t hurt you,” ‘Nurse Joy’ continues. Something brushes your head and you duck away, hissing. An unpleasant mix of fear and anger rises in your stomach. Your other whines softly.

“If you won’t let me do it, will you let Caroline?” ‘Nurse Joy’ murmurs. You find yourself unconsciously relaxing. There’s just something about the way they speak that’s comforting and you don’t like it at all.

_ “You won’t mind if I check, right?”  _ Ca-ro-line asks. They brush your paw softly and your other hums, reaching out. What you assume is Ca-ro-line’s paw grasps yours.  _ “Don’t worry about what I’m going to do. It won’t hurt, I promise. Okay?” _

You are reluctant but your other seems to trust Ca-ro-line, swaying happily when Ca-ro-line squeezes your paw.  _ “O-kay”,  _ they say.  _ “O-kay. O-kay.” _

_ “... Okay,”  _ you say after a moment. 

_ “Great,”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “I’m going to put this on your chest, okay? That’s all. See? You can touch it if you want.” _

Your other immediately reaches out, waving randomly about. Something cold is pressed against your paw. You reach out with another paw and touch it carefully. It seems like a piece of metal, nothing more.

Huh.

_ “Harmless, right?”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “Don’t worry. Just breathe steadily for us while I do this.” _

The metal touches your chest and you take a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling. True to Ca-ro-line’s word, nothing happens. The metal stays there for a bit and then is removed.

_ “Thank you,”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “Nothing to worry about, right? You can trust us. Get a bit of rest, now, okay?” _

_ You can trust us. _

Those words echo strangely in your mind as you lie your head back down on the cool metal.  _ You can trust us. _


	12. Too Early Seen Unknown and Known Too Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is completely unrelated. Don't ask.
> 
> God, school has been annoying. Like, I need to write, you know? I have stuff to work on. I don't have time for six pages of multiplying polynomials when I have been doing this since birth. 
> 
> I've been getting annoying writer's block, too, but that happens at least once a month so it's less frustrating. Kind of.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

Staying at the Po-ke-mon-cen-ter is odd.

There were other Pokemon around, who all seemed quite happy. The whole place was clear and smooth and the water wasn’t gritty or metallic. Every day you got to eat at least twice (the first day, you had gotten a painful feeling in your stomach and everything had come back out. It was not an experience you were keen on repeating). There were no chains, no bars, no nothing. You could move and sleep as you wished.

Strangest of all were the smells. Where you used to live had a constant metallic, dusty, gritty smell. It had just become a fact of life. Every Pokemon smelled different, sure, but underneath their unique scents was the exact same metallic-grit-scent. The Po-ke-mon-cen-ter smelled fresh in a way that was both pleasant and confusing. Other Pokemon smelled clean and fresh and bright, not metallic or gritty at all. 

(The first day, another Chansey named Ca-lli had led you to something she called a ‘tub’ and had told you to get in. It was filled what you recognized as water. When you stepped in, you had gotten quite a shock; the water was  _ warm. _ )

Everything was confusing and new and so  _ different  _ from what was all your life. You kept waking up, expecting to be back in your cell chained to the rocky floor, surrounded by the metallic gritty smell again. Instead, you would wake up lying on something that felt oddly soft, similar to fur but different at the same time, surrounded by that fresh smell. Every time you ate, you kept expecting it to taste like the hard, gritty stuff you used to eat. The non-gritty-non-metallic water always surprised you. 

A part of you couldn’t help but wonder about Cass. Was she drinking clear water and breathing fresh air as well? Or was she trapped somewhere? If she was trapped… you didn’t want to think about that. You never even got to say goodbye.

At least Kelly was probably happy, wherever they were.

_ What wrong?  _ your other murmurs, bumping you sleepily. Ca-ro-line had just given you this odd-tasting liquid that made you feel rather tired. It was strange and you didn’t like it, but it made your breathing feel better so that was good.

_ Nothing,  _ you say back, flopping your head onto the soft stuff. It feels nice. Smells nice, too.  _ Go to sleep. _

Your other hums softly, nuzzling into your neck. You curl around them, a familiar gesture of comfort. For once, it feels like it’ll be okay.

  
  
  


**_“Do you know,”_ ** _ the Pokemon across you says,  _ **_“that Pokemon who cry have a high chance of being electrocuted more often?”_ **

_ You lift your head. It feels gritty and heavy.  _ **_“Huh?”_ **

**_“You heard me,”_ ** _ they drawl, stretching out the ‘heard’.  _ **_“You might be a fledgling, but even the young fowl don’t act like you do. This isn’t a soft nest where you can just lie there and feel sad.”_ **

_ You don’t really get what they’re saying so you shake your head from side-to-side.  _ **_“Don’ gedit,”_ ** _ you say, slurring the words.  _

**_“You will,”_ ** _ they sigh. A chilling feeling washes over you, making you curl up into a tight ball. Instinctively, you reach out your head, searching for something that isn’t there. What should be warmth and soft fur is instead cold hard stone, scraping your face. You’re cold and your face hurts and everything is confusing and scary at the same time. Burying your face into your paws, you try and will the cold feeling away. _

_ It doesn’t work. _

_ In fact, everything is getting colder. The ground is slipping beneath your feet, cracking as you try and get away. Your foot gets trapped and you tug and tug, desperate to get out. Cold creeps up around your limbs, freezing you in place as everything crumbles around you and the only thing you can hear is - _

  
  


Laughter.

It echoes in your head as you wake up gasping for breath, snapped out of the world of sleep. For a moment (or two) you panic, flailing about desperately until you realize you aren’t trapped or frozen anymore. Your other nudges you sleepily, murmuring a quiet  _ hmm? _

_ Go to sleep,  _ you say back, shifting to lie back down and nudging them back.  _ Nothing wrong. _

They hum, bumping you again.  _ Ev’rything al-right,  _ they say softly.  _ No-thing wrong. We o-kay. _

This is wrong. You should be comforting them, not the opposite. You’re the one who should be fighting these invisible opponents, not them. 

_ We okay,  _ you echo.  _ Sleep now. _

_ Sleep now,  _ they agree, curling up. You remain awake, the laughter from the dream buzzing about in your head. 

You don’t have this sort of thing often. It was frequent when you were younger and smaller, but started to fade away as you grew bigger. Stronger. It wasn’t supposed to start happening again.

Usually, there were two types of odd sleep-feelings. One was with the zappy things. That was a very frequent one. You would wake up shaking, trying desperately not to panic, with what felt like residual sparks zapping over your fur. Your other seemed to have this as well and would often nose at you for comfort, tears dripping sticky over your neck. 

Another, frequent one, was with Cass. Cass and Kelly, too, after they had been taken. Their cries echoed in your mind, filling your head with painful noise until everything became too much and you just couldn’t stand it, couldn’t stand the overbearing  _ noise _ and  _ feeling.  _ Your other had it bad as well, often waking you up before you woke on your own with their pained cries.

This one was unique. You rarely had it, not as much as the others but it was one of the worst. Trapped, frozen, surrounded by water and unable to breathe… it was a fear you really didn’t want to think about. This time, it was rocks and ice. You could almost feel it; the pointed stone scraping across your back, ice slithering up your limbs, curling around your neck, leaving you frozen mid-cry. Your other, trying desperately to escape, cries gradually getting more and more muffled by the cold creeping through your body.

You never wanted to think about it again.

_ Sleep now,  _ your other whispers gently, grasping your fur with their teeth and tugging lightly. You flinch away.  _ All okay. Okay now. _

_ I know,  _ you murmur quietly, resettling into the soft stuff. 

  
  
  
  
  


Waking up comes more soon than you would like.

_ “Come on, get up sleepyhead!”  _

The voice is Ca-ro-line’s, bubbling with cheer as always. You lift your head up, shaking away the remains of sleep clinging to your mind. Your other grumbles.

_ “Today’s your last day!”  _ Ca-ro-line says happily.  _ “Aren’t you excited to be out of here?” _

At this your other finally stirs, confusion and worry radiating off of them.  _ “Out of here?” _

_ “We’re leaving,”  _ you confirm. Leaving the po-ke-mon-cen-ter to go to a human.

Sadness presses up against your mind.  _ “Miss you,”  _ your other says, reaching their head out. Ca-ro-line laughs, a soft tinkling sound. It makes your chest hurt.

_ “Aw, don’t worry,”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “You can always come visit.”  _ A gentle paw brushes yours.  _ “Don’t worry, okay? I know your trainer and she’s really sweet! You’ll be just fine with each other.” _

Your other makes a soft noise, squirming. You let them shift as they desire until you’re both sitting up, front legs neatly curled.

_ “Cuute,”  _ Ca-ro-line says, giggling.  _ “Now, up! You have to eat, remember?” _

Right. Eating. Food was, for some reason, always given around the time you woke up. It was strange.

Your other hums happily, tugging you both off of the bed. Ca-ro-line’s paw touches your other’s head gently, leading you both to the food place. It smelled, as usual, of what you had recently learned was ‘salt’ and something that made your stomach grumble, and was . A clatter of metal and a stronger smell of food signaled that you were supposed to eat.

_ “I gotta go help Nurse Joy,”  _ Ca-ro-line says,  _ “so eat up, okay? You’re still pretty thin. Bye!”  _ The patter of their footsteps faded away into the noise.

Your other hums happily as they eat, chewing noisily. You take smaller, slower bites, chewing the food carefully so you can feel more full. You’re not sure how much you’ll get to eat if you’re with a human, but you’d rather be careful then be starved.

With both of you eating, the food is gone rather quickly. Your other arches their neck, letting out a satisfied  _ rrrp,  _ and tugs you off in the direction of the water-place.

_ “You done yet?” _

Your other starts, jerking up and bonking you in the side. You stifle a hiss of pain, swiveling your head towards the voice. It’s another Chansey: Char-lie? 

_ “Yeah,”  _ you say, tugging your other away from the water-place. A droplet lands on your neck.

_ “Come with me, then,”  _ they say. It was probably Char-lie.  _ “Nurse Joy needs to run one more check-up, then you’ll be out.”  _ A paw taps your head lightly, guiding you away.

“There you are, Charlie,” someone says. You can recognize the voice as that of ‘Nurse Joy’. “Can you take this Bonsly back to his trainer?”

_ “Yes, ma’am,”  _ Char-lie says. Their footsteps fade off, leaving you alone with ‘Nurse Joy’.

“Hey there,” ‘Nurse Joy’ says. “Could you just stay still for me? I’m sorry that Caroline can’t be here, but she’s busy tending to someone’s Minccino. Don’t worry about what I’m going to do; it’ll be like last time, okay?”

You don’t understand every word, but you can understand “Caroline can’t be here” and that immediately makes you tense. Last time had been with Ca-ro-line next to you, their soft voice and gentle paws soothing you. This time, you would be alone.

“Stay still, okay?” ‘Nurse Joy’ says. “All I’m going to do is wrap this around one of your feet.” A metal thing touches one of your forefeet. Your other pokes it hesitantly, humming softly when nothing happens.

“Good?” ‘Nurse Joy’ asks. “Good. Just like last time, okay?”

A metal band tightens around your foot and stays there for a few moments, then loosens. A metal disk is placed on your chest for a bit, then you hold an unpleasant-tasting metal stick in your mouth for a few moments, then you step on a small platform for a bit.

Nothing hurts. Nothing ties you down or zaps you and that never stops being strange. It’s just cool metal, nothing more.

“Alright, you’re good to go!” ‘Nurse Joy’ says. “Follow me.”

Something touches your head, making you hiss. 

“Oh, sorry,” ‘Nurse Joy’ says, voice dipping a bit. “Hey, Caroline? Can you come here for a bit?”

_ Ca-ro-line?  _ your other wonders, bumping you. 

_ Yeah,  _ you confirm.

_ “I’m here, I’m here!”  _ Ca-ro-line says.  _ “Oh, hey! You’re all done, right? Want me to escort her to the front?” _

“Please escort her to the front,” ‘Nurse Joy’ says. 

_ “Gotcha,” _ Ca-ro-line says. A paw touches your head lightly, reassuring.  _ “Come on! Let’s go see your trainer. I bet she’s really eager to see you!” _

Privately, you doubt it, but you follow Ca-ro-line anyway. Your other makes a sad noise at the idea of leaving, dragging their paws a little. ‘Nurse Joy’ brings up your little party, their heavier  _ human  _ footsteps echoing behind Ca-ro-line’s lighter ones.

_ “Here we are!”  _ Ca-ro-line cheers.  _ “Hi, Iris!” _

“Nurse Joy!” ‘I-ris’ says, ignoring Ca-ro-line. It makes you bristle. “Is she doing okay?”

“Your Zweilous is much better now, Iris,” ‘Nurse Joy’ says. “She should be ready to leave.”

“Oh, thank you,” ‘I-ris’ says. “Can I name you? It’s gonna be weird if I just call you Zweilous all the time, especially after you evolve.”

Evolve? You’re going to change another time? Are you going to get another head?

_ Evolve?  _ your other asks, nudging you.

_ Like when your body changes and you become stronger,  _ you answer.  _ I used to be smaller and have only one head. Then I evolved. _

Your other hums in acknowledgement, swaying a bit. 

“Hm,” ‘I-ris’ muses. “Hey, can you shake your head if you want a name?”

_ What I-ris say?  _ your other questions.

_ Shake your head if you want a name,  _ you translate, hesitating a bit on the  _ ‘shake your head’  _ part.

Your other hums for a moment, then shakes their head vigorously. You keep your head still.

“Okay, then!” ‘I-ris’ says brightly. “I’ll name you… hm. How about Pixel?”

_ Pi-xel?  _ your other wonders.  _ Pi-xel Pi-xel Pixel….  _

It sounds… surprisingly nice, actually. Soft but also unique, kind of like your other.

“Shake your head if you like it,” ‘I-ris’ says.

_ Shake your head if you like it,  _ you say, a little haltingly. Your other shakes their head even more vigorously.

“Pixel, then. That’s cute!” ‘I-ris’ says happily. “Okay. Do you want to go outside? Have you been outside before?”

You have, in fact, never been ‘out-side’ before and you are not sure whether you really want to go with this  _ human  _ or not. Your other/Pixel seems even less sure.

_ “Hey,”  _ Ca-ro-line says suddenly.  _ “It’s going to be okay, alright? You can trust Iris. Don’t worry, okay?” _

_ Don’t worry,  _ your other/Pixel murmurs softly.  _ Don’t worry don’t worry. _

_ “Iris brought you here,”  _ Ca-ro-line says softly.  _ “She wants to help you. Don’t worry.” _

Surprisingly, it’s your other/Pixel who takes a step forward. You hang back, uncertain.

_ It’ll be okay,  _ your other/Pixel says.  _ We be okay. _

And when, you can’t help but wonder, had your other become so brave?

_ I know,  _ you say, and allow yourself to take a tiny step forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about my bitching; it's not very proper of me. Today's a bit of an off day. Usually I can control my irritation, but... 
> 
> Oh well. Hope you enjoyed the chapter at least!


	13. You Do Wrong Your Hand Too Much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I busted through a ton of work, found out about this comedian called Ronny Chieng (he is hillarious go listen to him), listened to Lie by Jimin from BTS about 1412362873891 times, and had a moment of panic about percentages. How was your day?
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

“I want you to meet my team,” I-ris says as you’re walking along. They don’t touch you or approach you, thankfully. Rather, they hold something odd-smelling that you can follow.

“Maybe somewhere with more space… ooh! There! C’mon, Pixel!”

‘Pixel’ hums happily upon hearing their name. You trail slowly after the odd scent. It’s something that you really can’t identify. The world around you is semi-familiar: smoke, like the mons who spit fire, stone, grit, humans talking and something rumbling. It’s loud and thrumming  and terrifying , but at least it’s something you can recognize. The scent, though, is fresh and completely unfamiliar.

Somehow, it reminds you of the Po-ke-mon-cen-ter.

The smell takes a turn and you move a bit faster, trying to keep up and accidentally stepping on a rock. You swallow a hiss of pain. Pixel barely manages to, letting out a small choked noise.

The ground beneath you transitions from hard rock to something soft yet prickly at the same time. It makes you start for a moment, poking it carefully to make sure it isn’t harmful.

_ What this?  _ Pixel questions, sniffing at the stuff and then recoiling.  _ Prickly! _

You carefully press your nose to the stuff and nearly sneeze. It tickles.

“Hey, why are you still there?” I-ris asks. You can hear their footsteps approaching and you bristle, backing up a bit. Your feet meet rough rock.

“Aw, don’t worry,” I-ris says. “You’ll be okay. It’s just grass, see? Grass!” There’s a light ripping sound and then something is shoved at your face, flooding your nose. You recoil, twitching. Whatever it is, it smells  _ strong.  _

“Now, c’mon. Follow me!” I-ris continues. “There’s a great place on Route 10 that I like to go to. This way!!”

Pixel sways a bit, bumping you.  _ Loud,  _ they complain unhappily.  _ Loud. _

I-ris, you think, is not so much loud as they  _ feel  _ loud. It’s confusing.

_ Follow?  _ you ask Pixel.

Pixel hesitates, shifting. They poke at the ‘grass’.

“Hey, Pixel, c’mon!” I-ris says, sounding a little less happy. “Can you come here? Please?”

_ Follow,  _ Pixel decides, tugging you gently towards the odd smell. You go along, stepping carefully over the ‘grass’. The whole place smells different, now, different from the smoke and grit of what was before. Now it all smells fresh and soft in a way you just can’t seem to put words to. 

“See, it’s fine right?” I-ris says. “C’mon, this way!!”

You find yourself having to jog to keep up. Everything around you is incredibly odd. Multiple times you barely manage to avoid colliding with these rough-feeling big things. They don’t feel like rock or metal or anything you’ve felt so far, but what else could it be?

“Alright, here we are!” I-ris finally says. You stumble through more rough prickly things, grimacing. Pixel makes a sad noise. “Oh - I didn’t realize! You should have said that you were injured.”

Injured? You were barely injured. It was just a few scrapes, nothing else. You didn’t want them touching you, even if they were now your trainer.

“What did Nurse Joy do,” I-ris is saying. “Oh! Right. Come out, Pastel!”

Pas-tel?

There’s a  _ swshhhhh _ and then a thump. You swivel your head towards the sound, fur bristling. Are you going to battle? You’re probably going to battle. You also have no idea what a Pas-tel is but you really don’t care.

_ “Hello. Who are you?” _

There.

_ Wait!  _ Pixel calls out. You start, barely managing to stop the Dragon Pulse from escaping.

_ What?  _ you ask.

_ No battle yet? _ Pixel requests.  _ Maybe they nice. _

You dig your feet into the grass.  _ Fine,  _ you say, keeping your ears pointed towards Pas-tel. 

_ “I’m Pastel,”  _ Pas-tel says.  _ “You look a little scratched up… there. Let me?” _

And without warning, something is spraying onto your head. Both you and Pixel start, ducking away from the stuff. You launch a Dragon Pulse towards Pas-tel, hissing angrily. There’s a raspy cry of pain.

“Hey!” I-ris yells. “Why did you do that? She was just trying to help!”

Pixel makes a scared noise, skittering back into the prickly stuff. It scrapes at your face and back, leaving bursts of stinging pain across your body. You bare your teeth, crouching close to the ground and bracing yourself for anything that might happen.

_ “I’m sorry.”  _

… 

what.

_ “That startled you, right?”  _ Pas-tel continues.  _ “I’m sorry. Will you let me help you?” _

_ “Help?”  _ Pixel whispers, so soft you can barely hear it.

_ “Pardon?”  _ Pas-tel asks.  _ “I’m okay, Iris, you don’t have to worry.” _

Pixel ducks a bit back, curling into yourself. You keep your ears trained on Pas-tel, tense and ready.

_ “Really, Iris, it’s fine,”  _ Pas-tel continues.  _ “Would you mind coming out? I’m just going to apply this, okay?” _

You hang back, untrusting, but Pas-tel continues to murmur soothing words and Pixel finally gives in, taking a hesitant step forward. You grit your teeth, hissing as you hear their steps approach you.

_ “It’s medicine, nothing more,”  _ Pas-tel says softly.  _ “It’ll help.” _

Pixel is the one who takes the risk, moving forwards a bit more. Droplets splash onto the side of your face as Pas-tel sprays Pixel.

_ “Sorry about getting it on your face,”  _ Pas-tel says.  _ “It’s not meant for Druddigon hands. Could you duck your head for me, please?” _

_ Feels better,  _ Pixel says, sounding surprised.  _ No hurts anymore. _

Huh.

Hesitantly, you reach your head towards Pas-tel and brace yourself for the spray. Surprisingly enough, as more of the liquid is sprayed onto you the dull ache fades away. What was this strange liquid? Water? It couldn’t be water. But what other liquids were there?

_ “Spray back?”  _ Pixel asks, stepping forwards a bit more.  _ “And side?” _

_ “Sure,”  _ Pas-tel says.  _ “Those bushes can be pretty nasty, huh. Hold still, please?” _

This time, you know what to expect. The ache on your back and sides fades away as Pas-tel sprays the strange liquid over your body. Pixel hums happily at the feeling.

_ “There we go,”  _ Pas-tel says. The spray stops.  _ “Better, right?” _

“Wow,” I-ris says before you can say anything. “Pastel… how did you do that?”

Pas-tel audibly sighs.  _ “Iris can be a little strange or ridiculous sometimes, but she’s still very kind,”  _ they say.  _ “Please don’t be alarmed if she does something odd or that you don’t like. We’ll figure it all out.” _

“Hm,” I-ris is saying in the background. “Oh! Yeah. Pixel!”

Pixel makes a slightly scared noise. 

_ “Don’t worry,”  _ Pas-tel says reassuringly. A rough-skinned paw touches Pixel’s head. Surprisingly, they don’t react.  _ “Iris probably just wants to say something. Follow me?” _

You trail behind Pas-tel, prickling slightly. Iris’ maddeningly cheerful and  _ loud  _ voice drifts through the place once more. “I want you to meet everyone! Lollipop, Rosebud, Rascal, come out!”

_ Swshh. _

_ Prrsp. _

_ Hshhh _

_ Hsspp _

_ “You.” _

That was Rose-bud.

_ “Aw, calm down Rosy!”  _ someone else says. Their voice is rather squeaky and bright. 

_ “Stop calling me Rosy,”  _ Rose-bud snaps. Your fur bristles.  _ “ _

_ “But it’s cuute,”  _ Squeaky-Voice says. 

_ “It is not cute! It is stupid and ridiculous and - ” _

“Okay, Rosebud,” I-ris says. Rose-bud growls lowly but stops yelling. Pixel raises their head back up. “C’mere, buddy. Guys, get into a circle! I wanna introduce you one by one.”

Footsteps sound throughout wherever it is you are. They’re quite varied, you note. One set is slow and heavy, another is fluttery somehow, and the last set is swift and firm. 

_ “This way,”  _ Pas-tel says, leading you to a different place.  _ “Sit down, okay?” _

Pixel tugs you to sit down, humming. A sudden feeling of warmth spreads over you, strangely enough. You sway a bit, trying to lean towards the warmth. What is this? What mysterious things lay in the world of ‘out-side’ that you’d never heard of?

“Alright!” I-ris cheers. “Okay. First Pokemon: Lollipop, can you introduce yourself? Oh! And your species cause Pixel probably won’t know.”

_ “Sure,”  _ someone, likely Lol-li-pop, says.  _ “Hi, new team member! I’m Lollipop and my species is an Aggron. Your name is cool! Wait, which head am I supposed to talk to?” _

_ “Doesn’t matter,”  _ Rose-bud grumbles.

“Alright, good job Lollipop!” I-ris says. “Rascal?”

_ “Hiiii,”  _ Ras-cal says, snickering.  _ “I’m Rascal and I’m an Archen. Can you fly? You have things on your back. I’m going to fly one day and then I’ll be able to escape when Rosebud tries to eat me!” _

Eat… me?

_ “Eat you?”  _ Pixel questions.

_ “Oooh, can you both talk? That’s so cool! I want, like, fourteen heads! And fifteen legs! And - ” _

“Alright, c’mere Rascal,” I-ris says, ending their dizzying rambling. “You got leaves caught in your feathers, silly.”

_ “Aww, Iris,”  _ Ras-cal complains but you can hear their footsteps moving towards I-ris’ voice.

“You know Rosebud, so Pastel! You’re up - Rascal, hold still!”

_ “I’m Pastel,”  _ Pas-tel says calmly, seemingly uncaring about the screaming Ras-cal, the grumbling Rose-bud, the laughing Lol-li-pop and the sighing I-ris all making noise in the background.  _ “Please excuse them, they can be idiots. My species is a Druddigon.” _

_ “My name,”  _ Rose-bud is snarling,  _ “comes from the ancient dragon tradition of - ” _

_ “Rose-bud,”  _ Lol-li-pop interrupts.  _ “We love you, but your name comes from the flower. Not an ancient dragon tradition.” _

“Guys, stop arguing!” I-ris says. Rose-bud and Lol-li-pop fall silent. “There we go, Rascal. Now you’re free to move.”

_ “Finally!”  _ Ras-cal says.  _ “Also,  _ Rosy,  _ your name totally comes from the flower. I can see the resemblance!” _

Rose-bud growls angrily and there’s a thumping sound followed by high-pitched squeaky laughter.

_ “You’re not any better!”  _ Rose-bud snaps.  _ “You are literally named Rascal because when you were revived the first thing you did was - ” _

“Guys, I told you not to argue!”

Pixel is shaking a little next to you, tugging you away from the warmth-ray and towards a cooler place. You can’t help but miss the warmth but go along anyway, letting Pixel curl into you. The noise is a bit overwhelming and you can’t help but wonder; will it always be like this?

_ “They’re loud, yeah,”  _ Pas-tel says. You can hear their footsteps (steady and firm) coming towards you.  _ “But they’ll calm down eventually. Don’t worry.” _

Pixel, at least, seems to like Pas-tel, swaying towards them. You’re still uncertain. 

_ “Alright, guys, stop.”  _ Instead of I-ris, it’s the raspy voice of Lol-li-pop.  _ “Let’s go have fun instead of arguing. Also, Rosy, you were named after the flower. And before you growl at me, remember that I was named after a candy.” _

Rose-bud’s frustrated growl sounds out, along with high-pitched laughter and low chuckling. Pastel sighs audibly. Pixel curls into you. You can hear their breathing slowly even out; they probably want a bit of sleep. You can’t blame them; the yelling would make anyone tired.

_ “Will this happen everyday?”  _ you ask Pas-tel.

_ “Probably,”  _ Pas-tel sighs.  _ “You’ll get used to it.” _

Right.


	14. What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost forgot to update this and kind of had an OH SHIT moment when I realized, haha. 
> 
> I have a chemistry test tomorrow (fuun), which I am totally looking forwards to. Yeah. School is just - ugh. No better way to put it.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jayden

As it turned out, I-ris liked to do this thing called training. Pas-tel had explained it as being  _ “battle training, you know. Learning how to move and dodge and attack.” _

It was simple. It should have been simple, at least. You’d been fighting most of your life. So, when I-ris called for a mock battle between you and some other Pokemon called a Fra-xure, you were sure you could do it.

Except it was different.

“Your move, Tom!” I-ris calls out (whoever ‘Tom’ is). 

“Right,” a new voice, probably ‘Tom’, says. “Fraxure! Dragon Claw!”

Huh?

Footsteps rush towards you and you skid away, summoning a Dragon Pulse and throwing it at the footsteps. At the same time, I-ris calls out,

“Pixel! Dark Pulse!”

_ What?  _ Pixel questions. 

_ I don’t know,  _ you answer, crouching. Were you supposed to use Dark Pulse? Why? There wasn’t much point, was there? Both worked fine when it came to fighting.

“How come your Zweillous doesn’t listen to you?” ‘Tom’ questions. You bristle, wondering if you’re going to keep fighting. The Fraxure, oddly enough, seems to have stopped moving.

Well, no time like the present.

_ We still fight?  _ Pixel questions when you charge up an attack (Dark Pulse this time) and launch it outwards. It doesn’t seem to hit the opponent as there’s a sliding sound and a roar of anger. Footsteps sound again and you meet their attack head-on, snapping outwards in a Crunch. Your teeth meet hard scales (quite painfully) and you bodily shove them back. Another Dragon Pulse charges up and the Pokemon lets out a cry of pain.

“Stop!” I-ris is yelling and that makes you pause, flinching away from the noise. “Pixel, why did you do that? You can’t just attack other Pokemon!”

… 

_ We were not batt-ling?  _ Pixel questions, confusion and fear radiating into your mind. You have no idea, either. This was a battle, right? You fought until one of you fainted and that was it. 

_ Don’t know,  _ you say, bristling as I-ris approaches, footsteps angry. What are they going to do? Hit you? Kick you? Do they have a buzzy thing as well? Pixel whimpers and you clamp down abruptly on your fear. You’re not chained or trapped anymore. You can fight if you need to.

I-ris’ footsteps come closer and closer and you snap outwards, teeth bared. Your teeth make contact with something and you bite down. Hard. Your teeth dig into soft flesh and a familiar metallic taste floods your mouth. 

The scream that follows is both terrifying and satisfying. 

Pixel tugs you away as ‘Tom’ yells something out.  _ Get out,  _ they plead.  _ Before hurt. _

You are in full agreement and together you start running, aiming randomly. You don’t know the layout of the place at all but you’ll find an exit eventually. Then you can get out and go somewhere. Somewhere far, far away from humans, where you and Pixel can live and be peaceful.

The floor drops out from your feet suddenly and Pixel cries out, panicked. You curl up tightly and brace yourself for the painful landing. Surprisingly, it doesn’t come. Instead of hitting hard rock you land on something… bouncy.

Pixel’s confusion radiates into your mind as you struggle your way up, bracing your feet in the spaces (spaces?) in the ground and start walking, trying not to trip. The bouncy stuff is hard to move across and you stumble often, but you should be able to find an exit  _ somewhere. _

There’s a prickling sensation on your back and you swivel around, crouching. You bare your teeth, ready to attack but suddenly there’s a tugging feeling and you are pulled into a tiny, metal space.

Pixel panics.

Pixel panics, battering at the walls with their feet, scraping the metal with blunted claws. You curl up, taking deep breaths. The tiny space isn’t escapable, you know this. You are  _ trapped  _ and the very thought makes your gut clench. 

_ Trapped,  _ Pixel whispers and that does nothing to ease your fear. You take deep, shuddering breaths, teeth gritted, and clamp down firmly on your panic.

_ We’ll be okay,  _ you say. Pixel doesn’t respond but nuzzles into you, seeking comfort. You curl around their head, tucking your feet up so you can fit better. The sounds of both your breathing fill the space.

_ When we out?  _ Pixel asks, shifting unhappily.  _ Want out. _

You don’t have an answer and, surprisingly, the feeling hurts. Instead of focusing on it, you take deep breaths, trying to keep your mind focused. Pixel keeps shifting, whimpering occasionally. 

_ Don’t be scared,  _ you say finally.  _ It’ll be okay. _

Nights of lying next to each other, trying to provide some sparse form of comfort as your body ached and grit dug into your stomach and feet; now is one of those times. Pixel clings to you as the space jostles, stifling their panic into your fur. You lean your head against theirs and try to ignore your own harsh breaths.

I-ris is a human, you remember. A human. And you just bit them.

Panic rises up, harsh and choking in your chest. You just  _ bit  _ them. Blood still clings to your teeth. What were they going to do? They could do anything while you were trapped here. The realization is setting in and fear curls up in your gut. Pixel seems to sense it too, as they make a panicked noise, breaths ruffling quickly over your fur. 

It’s your fault. You bit the human and now they would hurt you. And now they would hurt  _ Pixel _ . You didn’t manage to get out in time and now you were trapped, caught in the tiny metal space.

If Pixel senses your thoughts, they don’t argue and that makes you feel worse. 

Your space is moving, now, shifting a bit. You stay as still as possible as you are flipped over, a motion that makes your stomach turn. Noises are coming from outside, mostly human noises. They’re muffled by the metal but you can make out a bit of what they’re saying and that’s what you focus on, trying to distract yourself from the trapped feeling the space gives off. Pixel shifts about, anxious, as the space finally stills.

_ Sleep,  _ you say finally.  _ Go to sleep. _

There’s no response but after a few moments Pixel’s breathing evens out. You lean your head back against the metal and resign yourself to waiting.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Pixel wakes up panicking. You have a brief struggle trying to calm them down (and trying to stop yourself from panicking too). They eventually manage to fall back asleep, but not after leaving scratch wounds on your chest. 

  
  
  
  


Your chest feels sticky. Absentmindedly, you clean off the blood, tongue lapping over your fur. You miss Ca-ro-line. You miss  _ Cass _ and the feelings of grief and frustration cloud your thoughts. 

  
  
  
  
  


When were you going to be let out? Never? Soon? The thought of staying in the tiny space makes you swallow harshly. Pixel shifts but doesn’t wake up, murmuring pleas to an unseen Pokemon. It makes your chest ache.

What did you ever do for them?

  
  
  
  


Exhaustion has set in and you want nothing more than to sleep and forget everything, but your mind is running too fast to let you. Everything feels like  _ too much _ . The metal pressing up against your head, Pixel’s breathing sending little bursts of heat over your fur, the scratches on your chest. It’s overwhelming and your throat closes up, making you panic. You have to breathe, breathe,  _ breathe.  _

Pixel’s mind shifts and abruptly you bite down on your own foot, teeth digging in harshly. The fiery burst of pain clears everything away and you let go, breathing deeply. A metallic taste coats your tongue and you swallow, moving so you can try and clean up your foot. It’s awkward, but you manage to lick away some of the blood.

  
  
  
  
  


The space still doesn’t open.

  
  
  
  


_ Clk. _

The walls release you, spitting you out onto hard ground. You land with a thump, stifling a hiss of pain. Your injured foot aches. Pixel makes a confused noise, lifting your foot.

_ “You.” _

Before you can react, a harsh blow strikes your face. The force of it makes you stagger back. Footsteps rush you and you swerve away, dodging the blow and retaliating with a Dragon Pulse.

“Rosebud! Enough!”

That’s not your human. It’s another one, one with a deeper and raspier voice. You bristle, teeth bared warningly. Pixel makes a sound like a cross between a hiss and a whimper.

Rose-bud huffs.  _ “Fine,”  _ they snarl.  _ “But if this… this monster touches Iris again I’ll throw it off the platform.” _

Your ears flatten against your head. No one is throwing you off anything. Pixel makes a scared noise at the thought.

“Drayden?” someone says. You can recognize the voice as I-ris’. “Can I… can I go?”

‘Dray-den’ lets out something akin to a sigh. “Alright,” they say. “Be back in fifteen minutes.”

“Okay,” I-ris says. “Thank you.” Two sets of foot-steps, one slow and soft and the other heavy and powerful, fade off, leaving you alone with ‘Dray-den’.

Not good. Not good at all. You consider just jumping off wherever you’re standing on, knowing the bouncy thing will catch you.

“Let me take a look at your foot,” ‘Dray-den’ says. Their voice has taken on a sort of lull that immediately puts you on alert. What are they trying to do?

There’s a clunking sound and then footsteps are moving, slow and steady. You twist to follow them as they fade off a bit and then approach you once more. Something is set close to you and you shift backwards a bit.

“Sit, please,” ‘Dray-den’ says. There’s a shuffling sound and then a soft  _ fshh.  _ “Cirrus, if you would?”

Cir-rus?

_ “Oh no, what happened to you?”  _ a voice says. Cir-rus, probably.  _ “Do you mind if I come closer? I promise I won’t hurt you.”  _ There’s a soft thump.  _ “Those scratches seem painful. Would you like a hug?” _

A what? You shy away from the voice, prickling. Your tail thumps on the floor, searching for the edge. It seems you’re still reasonably far away.

_ “You can’t see me, can you?”  _ Cir-rus says.  _ “I have a friend who used to be like you, actually. She couldn’t see, either. But don’t worry! You’ll evolve soon and then you can fly, like me. And you’ll see, too.” _

Pixel shifts.  _ “Fly?”  _ they wonder.

_ “Fly,”  _ Cir-rus confirms.  _ “You’ve never flown before, have you. I can see your wings growing in; they’re so small. But it’s a wonderful feeling, flight. The air is sweet and fresh, the breeze is cool and gentle. Have you ever flown in the early morning? It’s such an amazing thing, seeing the sun rise, how the clouds drift away to reveal the light and the sky becomes streaked with pinks and ambers. And flying during the night… it’s beautiful. It feels like you can reach up and touch the stars. The whole world is laid out before your eyes.” _

Cir-rus’ voice is gentle and smooth and you find yourself getting lulled into a sort of sleepy calm. Pixel hums, swaying.

_ “When my friend - her name is Eris, by the way - first went flying, she was rather clumsy,”  _ Cir-rus continues. Footsteps approach you, pausing when your fur prickles.  _ “I remember watching her trying to make a left turn. It was quite funny, actually. She kept swerving randomly up and down. I had to help her several times, but she got the hang of it eventually. Now she goes flying almost everyday with Lix - he’s a Flygon - and I. I feel sorry for Lego and Cleaver, actually. They’ll never get to fly like we can, though Lego says he’s fine with staying grounded. Most Druddigon I’ve met say that, which is rather funny.” _

Footsteps come closer. They’re very light. You prick your ears, tracking them as they approach steadily and then pause. Cir-rus keeps speaking.

_ “You’ll love seeing the world,”  _ they say.  _ “It’s beautiful, especially here in Unova. Have you ever been to Chargestone Cave? It’s a marvelous place, lit in hues of blue and silver. I don’t doubt the beauty of other regions - my homeland of Hoenn is especially marvelous - but I have come to love it here. The rich forests, the snowy peaks, the rivers and springs, you’ll love them all. I know Eris did, at least.” _

Something soft touches your head. Pixel hums softly and Cir-rus hums right back, voice soothing. You can’t help but reach out, oddly relaxed, as you are wrapped in softness. 

“Drayden, I’m back!”

I-ris.

You shift, snapping out of your sleepy haze. Pixel makes a noise of complaint as you push away from Cir-rus and back away, bristling.

_ “Oh, don’t worry,”  _ Cir-rus says.  _ “That’s just Iris. She may be loud and a little impulsive, but she’s got a kind heart. Cleaver loves her.” _

The soft touch is back as Cir-rus hums a sweet tune. Their voice is quite possibly the most beautiful thing you have ever head, gentle and smooth like water. Pixel is humming along, not quite as smoothly but they’re trying. Softness envelops your body, and you find yourself automatically sinking into it.

“Iris,” ‘Dray-den’ says, voice stern again. Your ears prick, tracking the steps of the two humans. “Are you ready to try again with… Pixel?”

Uh oh.


	15. Teach the Torches to Burn Bright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my computer did something where it refused to let me log on and I had to finagle with it for hours and eventually just erased all the data I had stored and restarted everything. Now I can do my thing (finally!) but I have to set it all up again so. Fun. I did want to post the next chapter, though, so here you are!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

You snarl, struggling to get out of Cir-rus’ grasp. Their humming becomes louder, drowning out anything the humans say until you slump back down, a sleepy sort of feeling washing over you. 

_“Calm down,”_ Cir-rus says gently. _“No battling, no fighting, no hurting. I promise.”_

That didn’t help, but your body feels too heavy to move and you slump back down, feeling a little irritated with Cir-rus.

“Cirrus, you can let her go now,” ‘Dray-den’ says, voice firm. The soft touch disappears from around you as footsteps move to the side. You push yourself to your feet, shaking off the fake haze of calm from your mind.

“Sit down, please, Iris,” ‘Dray-den’ says. “You as well, Pixel. To start, I want both of you to just learn to trust each other.”

Why, you wonder? If all you’re going to do here is battle, then there’s no need for that. You battled plenty before without having to trust humans. 

There’s a shuffling noise and then a thump, probably I-ris. Cir-rus murmurs a quiet, _“Sit,”_ and Pixel complies, dragging you down to sit as well. You shift so your injured foot isn’t squashed uncomfortably beneath you, the pain more apparent now that the Cir-rus haze has worn off.

“I-ris, please help Pixel with her foot,” ‘Dray-den’ says. “Go slow and be patient.”

“Got it,” I-ris says, voice ridiculously bright as ever. Footsteps approach you and you shift backwards, teeth bared.

“Go slow,” ‘Dray-den’ says. “Iris. Slow down.”

“Right, yeah,” I-ris says. The footsteps pause for a moment then start up again, slower this time, which doesn’t really help. Someone audibly sighs.

_Fsssssss_

Something sprays your foot and you quickly withdraw it, tucking it beneath you. Pixel makes a confused noise, forcibly tugging it back out. You pull it back once more, irritated.

“Hey,” I-ris says. “C’moon, I need to see your foot! It’s bleeding.”

Because you hadn’t noticed _that_. 

“Patiently, Iris,” ‘Dray-den’ says. “Like so.”

Footsteps are approaching you now, heavier than before. You back up, hissing softly, and the footsteps stop. There’s a sort of shuffling sound and then weight drops down onto the floor. You stay where you are, waiting for it to happen. It always does.

Waiting.

  
  
  


… 

  
  
  
  
  


… 

  
  
  
  


Nothing is happening and that makes you restless, anxious. Pixel, on the other hand, has settled to the ground, seemingly okay with this unnatural stillness. Cir-rus hums a soft note.

As strange as it is, it’s better than the human approaching you. The stillness goes from scary to strange to comfortable surprisingly quickly. Other sounds and smells start filtering in: a Pokemon’s happy cries, laughter, a rushing sound that ruffles your fur a bit, something sweet and enticing.

There’s a shifting sound and you swivel to face it. It stops pretty soon, but you keep your ears trained on it, just in case. Footsteps approach you, firm and purposeful and you swivel back, prickling.

Stillness.

“Iris,” ‘Dray-den’ says, voice pitched low and gentle, “please hand me the potion.”

“Got it,” I-ris says, voice softer as well. Odd. 

“Do you know what a potion does?” ‘Dray-den’ says, practically whispering. Their voice is oddly monotone and it’s strangely lulling. “It’ll help you. Potions are made to heal and it looks like your foot needs healing.”

Heal.

_“Heal,”_ Cir-rus says at the same time. _“Not harm, we promise.”_

_“Promise,”_ Pixel echoes softly, saying it somehow like a question and a statement at the same time. A rush of relief hits you; you hadn’t even realized how much you’d missed their voice.

_“Promise,”_ Cir-rus vows.

“Iris,” ‘Dray-den’ murmurs, “if you will?”

“Yeah,” I-ris says. “Yeah. Okay, I’ll try.”

Footsteps approach, soft and deliberate. Your first instinct is to run but Cir-rus hums a soothing tune. They promised, you remember. 

“Hey, Pixel,” I-ris says quietly. “Can you hold out your foot? Pretty please with a Cherubi on top?”

Pixel is the one who nudges you forwards, holding out your foot for you. You brace your back feet against the floor, tense.

“Yes!” I-ris says, making you start. Pixel draws back and you hiss, bristling. “Oh, sorry. Sorry, Pixel. I didn’t mean to startle you - can you please hold your foot out again?”

It takes a little nudging from Cir-rus and Pixel’s wordless insistence but finally you let I-ris use the whatever-it-was (potion?) on your foot. The spraying feeling makes you tense up but soon the ache fades away.

“There,” I-ris says. “Oh - your chest.” And more of the spray comes, over where Pixel had scratched you. You hold yourself still, not twitching a single muscle. I-ris is so close you can feel a bit of heat emanating from them. They smell oddly like… what was it? Grass. That. Grass and the potion thing. It’s familiar and strange at the same time.

“Good job,” ‘Dray-den’ says. Their voice makes you flinch a little; it’s rough and deep again, a contrast to Iris’ soft and high-pitched tone. 

“Thank you!” I-ris says, voice back to being overly bright again. “So… do we get to train… ?”

“Not quite yet,” ‘Dray-den’ says, laughing. It’s rough and grates a bit on your ears. “You and Pixel need to trust each other first.”

“But - ”

“Not yet,” ‘Dray-den’ says. “Just talk to her for now, Iris. Why don’t you tell her about yourself.”

“Fine,” I-ris huffs with surprising strength and it makes Pixel flinch. “Oops, sorry. Shouldn't have done that. Where to start; I’m Iris! I’m taking on the gym challenge in Unova. I started with Rosie and I found Pastel in a forest. And I got Lolli when I was on Route 6. Rascal’s actually a fossil. I found him in a desert! Pretty cool, right?”

The whole spiel is making your head spin. It’s ‘Dray-den’ who stops I-ris in their rant, saying, “You might want to slow down, Iris.”

“Oh, yeah,” I-ris says, softening their voice. Pixel lifts their head back up. “Sorry, Pixel. Did I scare you? I’m really sorry.”

“Go on, then,” ‘Dray-den’ says. 

“Where was I?” I-ris ponders. “Hmm. Oh yeah, the gym challenge!”

Somehow, even when speaking slower, I-ris manages to insert their typical pep and cheer into their voice.

“I’m nearly at the end,” I-ris says. “I beat the triplets, Lenora, Burgh, Elesa, Clay, Skyla, and Brycen. Brycen was really hard to beat, actually, but Lolli was really helpful. And now I just have to beat Drayden! Maybe you can help. I’ve never beaten him, but that can always change.”

I-ris is surprisingly different when they’re not being loud or just… painfully bright. At some point, Dray-den’s heavy footsteps fade off into the distance and Cir-rus settles beside you, soft touch brushing your side. It’s a little startling, but after a bit you manage to relax a bit.

“I’m going to be a dragon master one day,” I-ris says softly. There’s a shuffling noise and then they sigh. “It’s going to be tough. But I’ll do it! This is what I was _meant_ to do. I know it. I’ll beat Drayden and the Elite Four and Alder and I’ll be a dragon master. The youngest dragon master _ever_. That’s my dream, Pixel. And Rosie’s, and Pastel’s, and Lolli’s, and, well, maybe not Rascal’s but that’s okay.”

I-ris takes a deep breath and then keeps speaking. “What’s your dream? You can’t really speak to me, but it’d be cool to hear all the same!”

Dream. You doubted I-ris was talking about what happened when you were asleep, so it was the other thing. 

_“Fly,”_ Pixel says quietly. _“Want to fly. Feel the - the -”_

_“Wind,”_ Cir-rus supplies.

_“Wind,”_ Pixel sighs. _“See.”_

Flight. Sight. What had Cir-rus said? You’d evolve and then fly, like their friend. When you evolved, you’d go flying with Pixel as much as they’d like.

“Cool,” I-ris says. “Hey, what about you?” It’s a question directed towards you instead of Pixel.

Huh. What did you want? There were a lot of things. You wanted to see Cass again. You wanted to be free, without being afraid ever again. You wanted to feel happy.

_“Feel happy,”_ is what you settle on. _“I want to be happy.”_

Cir-rus makes a sad hum, which is a little strange.

“Huh,” I-ris says. “I don’t really get what you guys mean, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll all achieve our dreams and be happy! And that’s what’s important. Right?”

_This nice,_ Pixel says quietly as I-ris keeps talking.

You feel a little inclined to agree.


	16. One Fire Burns Out Another Burning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter sixteen let's gooo. Just a few more left I think? Then I'll start posting Iris' story, which will be a lot longer. I'm estimating maybe 80/90K or more. We'll see!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

It’s several days before you start training again. And when you do start, it’s extremely strange.

You are released from your tiny metal place onto what feels like the grass thing. Air brushes over your fur; Cir-rus had called it wind. Pixel and you take a deep breath of the air at the same time. It smells fresh.

“Alright!” I-ris cheers. “Let’s try this out. Pixel, use Dark Pulse!”

Was this a battle? You didn’t hear or smell any other Pokemon around. Should you just… use the move?

_ Probably,  _ Pixel says. Together you charge up a Dark Pulse and launch it randomly outwards. There’s a sound of impact and a creaking noise.

“Ooh, cool,” I-ris says. “Looks like a pretty strong Dark Pulse, but you’re flaring it a lot. Try aiming it at… wait no.”

You stand there, a little confused, as I-ris wanders around, murmuring words to themself. Pixel leans down and starts nosing at the grass. You are content to simply stand there, feeling wind on your fur and the fresh smell.

“There,” I-ris says proudly. “Aim at that smell. Can you smell it? See if you can flare it less.”

You take a deep breath and something else permeates your nose. Something other than the freshness of  _ outside _ . Flare it less, I-ris had said. You’re not sure exactly how to do that, but you charge up a Dark Pulse anyway and try to channel it only towards the smell.

“Ooh,” I-ris says, sounding a little put-out. It makes you tense. “Okay, that was better… we’ll need to work on that. I do hope you evolve soon; I don’t think I have enough Bluk berries. Try Dragon Pulse, please?”

Berries? 

The good thing was that I-ris didn’t seem to want to do anything negative  yet . You charge up a Dragon Pulse and launch it towards the now-fading smell.

“That’s pretty good, actually,” I-ris says, voice lilting a little. “It’s more of a ball than a shockwave, though. You’re spitting it out instead of spraying it. Can I touch you?”

_ Can they?  _ you ask Pixel, ears flattening a bit at the thought.

_ Don’t know,  _ Pixel responds, anxiety radiating at the edge of your mind.  _ Don’t know. _

That’s probably a negative. I-ris’ footsteps approach steadily and you bristle, baring your teeth.

“Guess not,” I-ris says sadly. “Try again, okay? But spray. Spread it out.”

You charge up a Dragon Pulse again, energy building up in your chest, and then instead of launching it you try and exhale it. There isn’t any impact this time, just a fizzling sound.

“... not quite. Do it stronger, okay?”

Stronger. How could you exhale stronger? Again, you charge a Dragon Pulse and exhale it; hard. Again, there’s just a fizzling sound.

“That’s really not working, huh… and you can’t see so I can’t show you Pastel’s… ooh! I have an idea.”

I-ris’ footsteps rush off and you are left standing there, confused and a little irritated with yourself. Pixel nudges you, wondering why you’re irritated. You nudge them back reassuringly and charge up another Dragon Pulse, trying to exhale it again. No luck.

“I’m back!” I-ris says cheerfully. “Oh… poor grass. It looks a little, um, charred. Here, drink this!”

Something nudges your chest. Pixel leans down a bit, trying to lap up whatever it is. You duck your head and reach out hesitantly, tasting the stuff. Water. It’s sweet, somehow.

“Don’t swallow!” I-ris says quickly once you have a mouthful of it, startling you and nearly making you choke. “Aw, Pixel. Get another mouthful, okay? And don’t swallow.” Pixel obediently laps up another mouthful of the sweet water.

“Okay! Now, spray it!”

Awkwardly, you open your mouth a little and spray the water outwards. There’s a splashing sound. A drop of water hits your face.

“That’s… um.” I-ris says. “Okay! We’ll keep doing this for today… I’m gonna need more water.”

  
  
  
  


Your mouth muscles and your neck are exhausted. Pixel makes an unhappy noise and slumps down onto the ground, stretching their neck. You wince as you flex your jaw.

“Just one more,” I-ris pleads. “C’moon. One more? I need to make sure you got this.” A pause. “Pixeeel. One more and then we can stop okay?”

_ One more,  _ Pixel says, mostly to themself.  _ One more. Just one more. _

You stand up and take a mouthful of water along with Pixel. Coiling your neck, you thrust forwards and spray the water at the same time, hearing the droplets land with a splash.

“Yes!” I-ris cheers. “Okay, that’s a lot better. Let’s take a break for now and then you can do it with an actual attack!”

Wonderful.

I-ris leads you slowly away from the grass space and onto firm rock, footsteps slow and purposeful. You narrowly avoid a giggling human and then are promptly bowled over by another Pokemon, tumbling head-over-feet and scraping your head.

_ “Sorry! Sorry sorry sorry. Let me help you up… ooh, sorry! Are those wings?” _

You step away from them, hissing. Your not-wings pulse with pain.  _ “No,”  _ you say, then realize that you’ve lost track of I-ris. 

Pixel’s worry filters into your mind.  _ I-ris,  _ they say.  _ Where? _

You try and listen for their footsteps but the world around you is far too _loud_ and overwhelming and you just can’t distinguish between anything. Any smell had disappeared into the conflicting scents of the world around you: salt, grit, smoke, wind.

Not good.

_ Don’t know,  _ you say. 

Pixel takes a deep shuddery breath, anxiety pressing up for a moment.  _ Where go now?  _ they say.  _ Where go? _

_ “Hey, is something wrong?”  _ the Pokemon who knocked you over asks.  _ “You look a little panicked. Did you lose someone? I’m great at finding people!” _

That’s… good, actually.

_ “Need to find human,”  _ Pixel says, voice jittery. Your voice would probably come out the same.  _ “Iris.” _

_ “Iris,”  _ the knock-over Pokemon says thoughtfully.  _ “Ooh. Is that the human smell clinging to you?” _

_ “Probably,”  _ you say. 

_ “Then let’s go! I can totally find her,”  _ knock-over Pokemon says brightly.  _ “Follow me!” _

_ “Wait!” _

But the Pokemon’s footsteps are already disappearing into the noise around you. You put on a burst of speed, trying to catch up to them before you get completely lost. No luck.

_ “Hey, c’mon! Why aren’t you following? It’s this way!” _

Knock-over reminds you, strangely enough, of I-ris. 

_ “What way?”  _ Pixel asks. You pull yourself hurriedly towards the side as a scream comes towards you and someone knocks you even further back, sending you tumbling straight into what feels like stone.

It’s becoming evident that knock-over won’t help you so you stagger to your feet and press your nose to the stone, following it carefully. Hopefully this would keep you away from others and lead you somewhere. Somewhere quieter and less… in general just  _ less _ .

_ Lost,  _ Pixel murmurs, anxiety stirring even further. 

_ It’ll be okay,  _ you say, following the turn of the stone carefully. Multiple sets of footsteps thump past you in an uneven rhythm. You take deep breaths; inhale, exhale. Try to ignore the growing sense of fear in your gut.  _ It’ll be okay. Say it with me. _

_ It’ll - it - it’ll be okay. _

_ Yeah. _

You have to believe that or nothing will be worth it so you keep moving, pushing past the overbearing sounds and smells and sensations around you. A cry sounds too close to your ears and Pixel buckles, breathing hard, chest heaving painfully. You snap outwards, hissing as some Pokemon approaches you. There’s footsteps everywhere, surrounding you,  _ trapping  _ you and -

“Pixel! Pixel oh my Mew are you alright?”

Human. Human human human. The voice registers in your mind and you recoil, snarling. That’s a  _ human  _ and they’re  _ bad  _ and suddenly it feels like you’re surrounded by  _ humans _ , all of them talking, voices meshing in with each other until it all coalesces into one. 

“Pixel! Pixel calm down  _ please.  _ Please! Pixel calm - ”

Pixel audibly whimpers, ducking further away and that’s what really makes you snap. You lunge forwards, teeth bared, ready to fight your way out of this circle of -

_ Fshhhh. _

And suddenly you’re even more trapped than before, caught in a cool enclosure. It’s even worse than before because at least outside you could  _ breathe  _ but here it’s suffocating. Pixel batters at the cage desperately and you do too, scraping your feet and face against the metal as your cage starts to move. 

A burst of pain flares up in your chest when Pixel accidentally hits you and that’s what snaps you out of it. You take deep shuddery breaths, trying to collect yourself once more. 

_ Sorry,  _ Pixel whimpers quietly once you’ve both managed to semi-calm down.  _ Sorry sorry sorry. _

Inhale, exhale. Focus on the brush of Pixel’s breaths on your fur. Focus on the metal at your back. Focus on anything but the fear and pain.

_ We’ll be okay,  _ you whisper quietly. 

_ Will we?  _ Pixel asks, voice small and scared and it  _ hurts,  _ hurts some deep part inside of you. 

The question makes you hesitate, though. Would you? Everything that had happened had fallen apart. 

_ Just one more step,  _ you say.  _ Just a bit more. It’ll be okay in the end. _

You take a shallow breath and say it out loud, into the space.  _ “We’ll be okay.”  _

Pixel makes a soft, sad noise. Wetness touches your fur and you realize they’re crying.

It all comes out them, tears dripping down your face as well. Somehow, you manage to choke out a few words.  _ “It’ll be okay. We can fly one day and see the world others love so much and we’ll be free. And someday we’ll see Caroline and Kelly and Cass and everyone.” _

_ “And we see the sky,”  _ Pixel murmurs into the silence.  _ “And the cave Cirrus said. And the trees and grass.” _

_ “And we won’t be chained up or trapped.” _

Saying it makes it feel real, somehow, as if the words themselves could manifest into real life. Maybe it would be, one day.

_ “Just a bit more,”  _ Pixel says quietly. You echo their words.

_ “A bit more.” _


	17. O, I Am Fortune's Fool!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooo I'm back! New chapter everybody. I don't have much to say except the octomester schedule is so annoying and I have no idea when it changes. 
> 
> I've got a math contest (virtual, of course) tomorrow, so wish me luck!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

You’re not sure how long you and Pixel are going to be forced to stay in your capsule, but every second feels like hours. The wetness on your fur has long become sticky and irritating.

_ What do we even do here?  _ Pixel complains, shifting.  _ I’m bored. _

_ I don’t know,  _ you say. To tell the truth, you’re bored as well. The panic has simmered down a bit and with the lack of space, you have no idea what to do but stew in your own thoughts and that was for others, not you. You were supposed to fight. Well, at least  _ you _ were. Pixel… was different.

_ What are they going to do?  _ Pixel murmurs after a bit.  _ Will we get sent back?  _ The undercurrent of fear in their voice makes your fur prickle. 

_ No one is sending us back,  _ you say fiercely.  _ Never. _

Pixel is silent and you start to grow worried, hoping you didn’t scare them.

_ “I never said thank you,”  _ Pixel whispers into the silence.  _ “For being my… I don’t know the word.” _

_ “Friend?”  _ you ask. Your voice comes out hoarse and feels too loud for your ears, echoing in your metal chamber.  __

_ “No, that’s not it,”  _ Pixel says.  _ “It’s… like friend but diffe- different. Some ‘mon who al-ways protects.”  _

Some ‘mon who always protects. You can’t say you’d ever heard a word like that.

_ “Don’t know,”  _ Pixel sighs after a moment of thought.  _ “But. You always protect-ted me. I ne-ver did.” _

Oh, Pixel.

It’s strange saying it. The words feel foreign on your tongue. But you take a deep breath and say, quietly,  _ “You protected me as well.” _

Pixel snorts. The sound is odd coming from them and your heart aches.

_ “No. You fought. I did not.” _

That’s… true. In a sense, that was true. You were the fighter.

Pixel was like Cass, though. Sweet, caring, and healing.

_ “You heal,”  _ you say.  _ “Like Ca- Caroline.” _

Pixel makes a humming noise and nuzzles you, vibrations rippling over your fur.  _ “Thank you,”  _ they say.  _ “For figh-ting for me.” _

You don’t reply but curl your head over theirs. Saying it just makes your throat clog up so you let your emotions radiate over the borders in your mind and hope that Pixel can sense your gratitude.

  
  
  


It feels like forever before you’re let out but when you are, it’s onto something that’s rocking back and forth. You automatically dig your feet into the grooves on the whatever it is, bristling. Air rushes past your face and droplets of water splash onto your feet. Where  _ are  _ you?

_ “Get away from me!” _ __   
  


The cry makes you startle. It sounds panicked. The sound of rushing water alerts you to an attack and you promptly fire back with a Dragon Pulse. An explosion sounds and water hits your face, droplets splashing harmlessly onto your fur.

“Be careful, please, Pixel!” 

I-ris?

_ I-ris?  _ Pixel echoes.

“Try not to hurt her too badly,” I-ris says. Their normally loud voice has softened somehow into something more mellow. “If you stumble too far I’ll recall you, okay?”

You don’t have much time to listen to I-ris’ words because your opponent surges forwards with a yell and you skid out of the way. Your foot slips and suddenly there’s nothing beneath you-

_ Fsssh. _

The metal-thing calls you back before you fall and after a moment you are back on the moving platform. Pixel breathes harshly, shock radiating into your mind. There’s a loud splash and water hits your chest and face. Are you… surrounded by water? Where would -

_ “Just leave me alone, please!” _

A sudden chill fills the air around you and by instinct you skitter back, half-sliding on the metal platform. Ice clips your ears and you snarl, shaking your head fiercely. It’s not enough to hurt you too badly but the cold stings.

And suddenly the platform  _ surges. _

“Lollipop!” I-ris. “Iron Head!”

You cling on for dear life as the platform - or Lol-li-pop - rushes forwards and your opponent lets out a cry. The impact jostles you a bit. Another splash sounds, further away.

“Hit it now, Pixel,” I-ris calls out immediately after, voice back to the mellow tone. “Can you give me a Dragon Pulse? Please?”

_ Dragon Pulse,  _ Pixel registers and you charge one up, firing it towards where you heard the splash. A pained cry sounds out and then disappears abruptly. Your ears can make out a faint  _ fsss  _ and then a few clicking sounds.

“Yes!” I-ris cheers. You take a deep breath, stumbling a little on the platform. “Come back, Lollipop. Let’s go to the Pokemon Center, okay?”

The Po-ke-mon-cen-ter?

Excitement presses up against your mind.  _ Ca-ro-line,  _ Pixel says. 

_ Yeah,  _ you reply. Lol-li-pop begins to move again and you press your feet into the grooves, holding on firmly.

“C’mon, Pixel,” I-ris says softly. Their voice is much closer and you slide back a bit, digging your back feet into the metal beneath you. “Do you mind if I touch you?”

Anxiety clenches your gut. You do mind. You would really rather not.

“That’s a no,” I-ris sighs. “Okay. Come back, please?”

You don’t have much of a choice. The metal capsule pulls you back and you find your head squashed right next to your tail. Water soaks uncomfortably into your fur. Pixel shifts, tugging you into a more comfortable position and letting out a surprised squeak when, suddenly, you are released back into the world that is ‘outside’.

“Hey, Pix,” I-ris says softly. Are they referring to you? Your name isn’t Pix, but their voice is going directly towards you. “I want you to hold onto this, okay? Grab onto it with your teeth, please?”

Grab onto what?

The answer comes soon enough. Something touches your paw lightly. Pixel shies away, head curling towards yours. 

“It’s just rubber,” I-ris says gently. “Nothing more. Rubber, you feel? I’ll place it in front of you and you can touch it.” There’s a rustling sound.

_ Touch?  _ Pixel asks, reaching out. You keep your ears pricked, alert, as Pixel touches the thing. 

_ S’ bouncy,  _ Pixel says, poking the thing continuously.  _ You try. _

Hesitantly, you reach out and poke the object. It feels more squishy than bouncy, but it doesn’t seem to do anything harmful.

“Can you grasp it with your teeth, please?” I-ris requests. 

_ You or me?  _ you ask Pixel.

_ You, please,  _ Pixel says, shaking their head. 

“Is something wrong?” I-ris asks. You simply pick up the thing, gripping it tightly in your mouth. Your teeth sink into the squishy stuff. It feels funny.

“... alright then. This way, Pixel. I wanna test it out.”

There’s a sudden tugging sensation in your jaw, coming from the thing you’re holding. Startled, you move forwards, bristling. What is this? What is I-ris doing with this?

“Just follow me,” I-ris keeps saying, voice low. “Follow me. That’s it, Pixel. If I pull too hard, let go, okay?”

Bit by bit, tug by tug, I-ris leads you along. It reminds you, bitterly enough, of the chains and Pixel makes a sad noise.

“Did I pull too hard?” I-ris is asking. “Sorry, Pix. I’ll pull a little gentler, okay? This way.”

The next tug is soft and you take a hesitant step forward with it. I-ris doesn’t pull hard enough to hurt you, thankfully. Pixel trails alongside you, nudging you occasionally.  _ Does it hurt?  _ they ask worriedly.

_ No,  _ you say, turning and accidentally stepping on a rock. You stifle a hiss of pain and keep moving, feeling gravel under your wet feet. Noise gradually fills your ears. Conflicting smells and sensations swirl in the air around you, disorienting and strange. You press your ears flat and keep walking, trying to track I-ris’ footsteps and the pull of the  _ thing _ when suddenly you bump into something. 

“It’s a little disorienting here, I know,” I-ris murmurs. Their voice tickles your fur and you step back, bristling. “I’ll put you back in your ball, okay?”

You don’t have much of a choice.


	18. Did My Heart Love Till Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English is kicking my butt. Writing essays can be hard. And really irritating, too. 
> 
> But I digress. I'm finally done with my online Algebra course and now I get to do Precalculus (yay?). For those who hate letters in math, trust me when I say it gets worse. Hang in there.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

“Hello and welcome to the Pokemon Center! How can I help you, Iris?”

The voice is rather muffled but you can distinguish it as being the Nurse Joy voice. Pixel is vibrating, occasionally thumping you on the chest.

_ Want out,  _ they say.  _ Want out. _

You do too but you don’t say it, thumping at the walls and hoping that I-ris can hear or feel it. 

“Can you do a quick heal of my Pokemon?” I-ris. “Oh! And I found a Lapras with a fin wound. Can you heal her, too?”

“Of course.” Nurse Joy voice. “Right this way.”

‘A quick heal’, as it turns out, means getting shoved into this odd thing that sends artificial warmth rippling over your fur. Pixel makes a humming sound and curls up tighter. Heat soaks into your body and you find yourself relaxing.

“All done. Caroline, please take the Lapras.”

_ Ca-ro-line?  _ Pixel questions eagerly. The warmth makes you feel sleepy and energized at the same time. Your ears perk up.

_ “Okay!” _

Caro-line’s voice, no doubt about it. You push against the walls of your enclosure, trying to get out. No luck.

“Thank you, Nurse Joy. When can we come back?”

“Come back at… say, 5:00.”

“Okay! Bye!”

And then you are being moved away and Pixel slumps down, unhappiness radiating into your mind. You curl up next to them, puffing out a sigh.

_ Miss her,  _ Pixel says.  _ Want out. _

_ I do too,  _ you say sadly. 

  
  
  
  
  


“Alright, everyone! It’s time to eat!”

Your enclosure spits you out onto the hard floor. Pixel stumbles and you pull them up, bristling when you smell other Pokemon.

“Guys, I want you all to say hi to Skye! She’s our new team member.”

_ Skye?  _ Pixel asks, confused. You take a deep breath, trying to sort between scents. Sure enough, there’s one unfamiliar one amongst everyone else’s smells. 

_ “M’ Rosebud.” _

_ “Ignore Rosebud, she’s grumpy all the time. I’m Lollipop and the one jumping on my shoulders is Rascal.” _

_ “HIIIIIIIII - ” _

“Alright, Rascal, calm down.”

_ “I’m Pastel. Please ignore the idiots. You are Skye?” _

_ “Y-yes?” _

That’s Skye. You make note of their voice - it’s sort of soft and oddly light. 

_ “It’s a pleasure to meet you. The Zweillous in the back there is Pixel.” _

There’s a moment of silence and you get the feeling you should say something. Awkwardly, you clear your throat and manage to say a greeting.  _ “Hello.” _

_ “Hi? You’re, uh, you fought me. Right?” _

Skye’s voice is soft and shy and scared and you suddenly remember your first time meeting I-ris’ team, how awkward it had been. Pixel hums softly and tugs you forwards towards Skye’s salt-water smell.

_ “U-um, did I do someth - ” _

_ “What. Are you doing.” _

“Pix? Hey, Pixel, that might not be a good i - ”

You are inclined to agree as Pixel insistently pulls you towards Skye. Your nose touches something smooth.

_ “Don’t worry,”  _ Pixel says, barely stumbling over their words.  _ “Every-one nice. You’ll be okay here.” _

_ “I -” _

Pixel lets out a sound that’s somewhere between a hum and a rasp. It’s soothing somehow.  _ “It’ll be okay. Just be - ” _

_ Believe,  _ you fill in.

_ “Believe it,”  _ Pixel says determinedly.

There’s a still moment of silence. It’s tense, fragile, like making any noise will shatter it into tiny bits. You subconsciously hold your breath, feet digging into the grooves of the floor. If you have to run or fight you’ll do it without -

_ “How do you know?” _

… hesitation?

Skye’s voice comes out quiet and high-pitched, cracking in the middle. 

_ “I lost so much,”  _ they choke out and it makes something deep in your gut hurt.  _ “I don’t even know where I am! But now I’m here, and with a human of all things. I’ll never see my friends again. I’ll never see my  _ family _ , ever. How can you say it’ll be okay!” _

The last word comes out as a shout and you take a physical step back, ears pressed flat. Lolli-pop and Rosebud let out rumbling growls at the same time. I-ris says something about calming down. 

Sadness radiates into your mind. Sadness for  _ Skye. _

_ “It’ll be okay be-cause we were okay,”  _ Pixel says softly, not seeming to care about Skye’s anger.  _ “We came from a - a - ” _

_ What is it?  _ they ask.

_ Are you really going to say it? Are you really going to tell Skye? _

_ Every-one else knows,  _ Pixel points out steadily.  _ Wanna help. _

You take a deep breath and sigh.  _ “Smuggling ring,”  _ you say out loud. The words alone send shivers through your fur. You never want to think about that again.

Skye’s silence is palpable.

_ “Is that… is that why your neck looks like that?”  _ Skye whispers, voice barely audible even to your ears.  _ “And your back, too?” _

You don’t know what your neck and back look like, but you assume there’s something there.  _ “Yeah,”  _ you say, unsure of what to say in this situation.

Surprisingly, it’s Rosebud who steps in to help.  _ “Found her chained up in a cell,”  _ she says gruffly.  _ “She was paralyzed.” _

“She was malnourished and covered in burn and paralysis scars,” I-ris says quietly. “When we got to a Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy told us she had damage to her internal organs. It was terrible.”

You wouldn’t call it terrible.

_ It was terrible,  _ Pixel says shakily.

Okay, that was fair.

_ “Oh no,”  _ Skye whispers and suddenly they’re touching your head. You stifle a noise of shock, bristling at the sudden sensation. Pixel squeaks.

_ “I’m so sorry,”  _ Skye says.  _ “I’ve heard of what happens in those places. You shouldn’t have had to go through that. No one should ever.” _

Pixel makes a sad noise, tugging you closer to them.  _ “We’re okay, now. Right?” _

_ “Yeah,”  _ you say. Pixel’s always been better at this sort of thing, even if they stumble more often.  _ “We’ll be okay. And..” _

What did you say? What were you  _ supposed  _ to say? Oddly enough, things like fighting felt so much easier.

_ “You will be, too. Just keep going, step by step.” _

Tension fills the air, so thick it feels like you could Crunch into it. Skye is perfectly still. A drop of water hits your head and rolls down your face. It tastes like salt and you realize that they’re crying.

Oh no. Oh no how do you function with this environment how do you -

_ “Thank y -,”  _ Skye whispers, voice cracking midway.  _ “Thank you. I… do you really think that?” _

_ You’re answering, not me. _

_ “Yes,”  _ Pixel says softly.

“Aw, come here,” I-ris says. Their footsteps approach you and Skye squeaks. “It’ll be okay, okay? Don’t worry about anything.”

_ “Yeah. It’ll, uh…“ _

_ “Ignore Rosebud, she seems intimidating but she’s soft on the inside.” _

_ “Shut up.” _

_ “Not in front of the child!” _

_ “Rascal’s already heard Rosebud swear six ways to Samurott, it won’t change anything.” _

_ “Rosebud you did  _ what. _ ” _

_ “FU-” _

_ “Rascal!” _

Skye makes a scared sound and I-ris abruptly yells, “Guys!” You can’t help the flinch.

“Sorry, Pixel,” I-ris adds. “Guys, you’re being too loud. Quiet down, okay? Let’s eat.”

There’s a chorus of grumbling but everyone settles down. You can hear footsteps shuffling towards you from multiple directions and the smell of food wafts into the air. Pixel makes an eager noise and you gently tug them to sit down, enjoying the moment of quiet.

“Rascal, no!”

_ “I got it!!!” _

Never mind.

Skye’s soft laughter brushes your cheek and Rascal lets out a screech as Rosebud growls in fury and you realize with a jolt that you don’t want to leave.


	19. Come, Gentle Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pentatonic and whole tone scales are absolutely insane. That's all I have to say, thank you. :)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Jay

Skye quickly becomes a huge constant in your life. 

Somehow, through what you’re pretty sure is magic and sheer dumb luck, Skye and you have bonded. 

(Pixel likes hearing that word, apparently.  _ Bonded _ , they’ll hum.  _ Bonded. We’ve bonded. _ )

It starts when I-ris apparently has to travel across some body of water to give something to someone or whatever. You are let out onto Skye’s back one day to battle potential trainers or wild Pokemon.

Battling. It’s not yet something you’re quite used to. With I-ris, it’s different. You’re expected to act on her command instead of just doing whatever and you don’t get injured quite as much. So far, I-ris just preferred letting you do the dodging and actual movement while she called out moves. It was a system you were perfectly fine with.

Battling on water is, as it turns out in the first few moments you are let out, very different. If you jump, you might not land. If you dodge or roll, you might slip. This is proven when you are hit with a blade of air and roll to the side, letting the momentum of the hit carry you and promptly falling off of Skye’s back. The only reason you don’t land in the water is because I-ris calls you back before you can. Instead, you have to rely on countering the hits. It’s strange, but you kind of like it.

_ “Directly above you,”  _ Skye calls out in your second battle. A lot of your opponents seem to like moving around in the air a lot and it’s annoying. Confused, you aim upwards with your Dragon Pulse and the resulting squawk confirms the hit. Another Dragon Pulse is thrown and there’s a splash.

“Good job, Pixel,” I-ris compliments. The actual Pixel makes a pleased sound.

_ “What was that for?”  _ you ask Skye. 

_ “Oh - um. I noticed you don’t seem to know where others are? Your nose and ears twitch a lot - it’s cute, don’t worry - and I thought you might want… help?” _

Oh. That was… nice, actually. Sweet, even.

_ “Thank you,”  _ you and Pixel say at the same time. Skye laughs, a soft, trilling sound. Their laugh is pretty. Pixel makes a noise of agreement.

_ Like…  _

You don’t have much to compare it to, but that doesn’t matter. Their laugh is pretty and that’s that. 

“Hey! Come and battle me!”

And the sweet moment shatters into small bits as you face up against some other Pokemon. 

This time, Skye helps you fight, probably using their ‘eyes’.  _ “To your left, in the water!” _

At I-ris’ command, you shoot out a Dark Pulse. The resulting splash leaves your chest fur dripping with water.

_ “Bubblebeam incoming,”  _ Skye says and you skitter to the side, feet pressing into the grooves on Skye’s back. Water splashes harmlessly somewhere far-off. 

“Dragon Pulse!”

_ “Left, above you.” _

You’re not sure if the attack hits but a moment later you are hit by something, nearly falling off of Skye’s back. Pixel manages to catch you, hanging on with one paw and you buck upwards, successfully throwing them up. You don’t wait for the sound of a landing, just press your feet into Skye’s back and launch yourself upwards, snagging something in a Crunch.

“My Poliwhirl!”

The… that disappears and you shake out spare droplets of water from your fur.

“Are you alright, Pixel?” I-ris’ voice is tinged with worry. “I was about to recall you but then you did that leap. You’re quite strong.”

Pixel hums in satisfaction, curling up comfortably on Skye’s back. The gentle rocking is soothing. 

_ “Be careful, alright?”  _ Skye says quietly.  _ “That jump was risky. I was really worried.” _

You’re really not sure how to respond to that so you just say an awkward,  _ “Okay.”  _

You’re pretty sure Pixel is dying inside thanks to that response. Oops.

It strikes you then, as you’re soaking up warmth on Skye’s back, how  _ comfortable  _ this feels. There’s no tension, no fear. Nothing binding you, no aches in your body or painful wounds. Just Skye’s steady rocking and I-ris’ quiet presence behind you. It feels so  _ good  _ it makes your chest ache. Pixel stretches out, humming happily.

You never want to forget this feeling. 

Before, that might have scared you. But now it just makes you feel inexplicably content.

(It still scares you, a little. Better than nothing, though.)

And now here you are, curled up next to Skye as you eat. Chatter fills the air around you. It’s not as much of a bother as it was before. Everyone, oddly enough, seems to talk quieter now. 

_ “Do you…” _

You swivel your ears towards Skye’s voice.  _ “Huh?” _

_ “Do you think I’ll see my family again?”  _ Skye asks softly.  _ “I… sorry if it’s insensitive. But I don’t know where I’ll go.” _

_ “Won’t you stay?”  _ Pixel says, worry evident in their voice.

_ “I… wasn’t this temporary?” _

Was it?

_ “S’not temporary.” _

Rosebud?

_ “But…” _

_ “Listen,”  _ Rosebud states firmly. You can hear their footsteps marching closer:  _ thump, thump, thump. “Iris doesn’t do temporary, you hear? You’re not a  _ gift  _ to be tossed off when she’s done. If she wants you on the team, you’re on the team. And trust me, she wants you.” _

“Rosebud, Skye, is something wrong? Are you okay?”

_ “Don’t worry,”  _ Pastel intervenes.  _ “Nothing’s wrong, Iris.” _

“Huh… okay. Tell me if something happens, okay?”

_ “Got it.” _

_ “So stop thinking that,”  _ Rosebud says sternly.  _ “Besides, the lil’ squirt likes you. Means that you’re stuck here, with us idiots.” _

_ “I… thank you,”  _ Skye says.  _ “I needed to hear that.” _

Were you the “lil’ squirt?”

_ “You like me?”  _ Skye asks. There’s a gentle tap next to you; Skye’s way of saying  _ I’m going to make contact.  _ Sure enough, something brushes your head.  _ “That’s sweet. Thank you for being my friend.” _

What… what could you possibly say to that?

_ “Thank you for being ours,”  _ Pixel says, saving the day. Someone in the background makes a cooing noise as Skye gently touches your head, touch soft as always. 

It strikes you then that you really want to see Skye.

The thought is so powerful you have to take a moment to process it. You really,  _ really  _ want to see Skye. 

You’re going to, you decide. One day, when you evolve, the first thing you’ll do is try to see what they look like. And if they could fly you’d go flying with them. Or you’d fly next to them while they were in the water. 

With a jolt, you realize that maybe this was actually possible. Perhaps, with a little more fighting, you could find the thing called happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> If any of you recognized where the title is from, congrats! For those who didn't, that's a line from Romeo and Juliet. We just read it in class and I can't make titles so I'm just going to steal quotes from Romeo and Juliet like an idiot. Credit to Scribe34 for unintentionally giving me this idea and also for making amazing stories.


End file.
